Jerry Kimball was minding his own business when he let his his four-month old Fire Bee Ball Python take a bathroom break in the grass at South Dakota's Falls Park. According to animal control, he was breaking the law.
Kimball was given a $190-ticket for "animals running at large." “It was April Fool’s Day, so I thought he was playing a joke,” the snake owner explains. “They’re not fast creatures. They’re not going to run away.”
He says he was told by the animal control officer to put a leash on his snake, which Kimball points out doesn't make much sense. While Animal Control Supervisor Julie DeJong agrees a leash is pretty silly, she does think Kimball should consider some people may be afraid of snakes. To Kimball, that's all the more reason to take his pet outside. “That’s my purpose in life: To let people know that snakes aren’t killers,” he adds. “What better way to give back than to help people understand these misunderstood creatures.”
Source: Argus Leader