Snakes in a home are more a problem than on a plane

Snakes in a home are more a problem than on a plane
EDITOR:
The movie & quot;Snakes on a Plane & quot; is generating practically unprecedented buzz, and it will no doubt scare the daylights out of theater-goers. But the real life danger from venomous snakes in captivity is more likely to be found at ground-level, in communities such as yours. While the film is drawing so much attention to these animals, it's a great time to let your readers know more about the dangers of venomous snakes kept as pets.
In recent years, two people have been killed by venomous snakes in Ohio.
A Cincinnati woman was killed in September 2004. She was bitten by a poisonous snake she kept at her home. Neighbors reportedly knew she had rabbits and birds but were unaware of her collection of at least nine poisonous snakes, which are not allowed as pets in her North College Hill community, and more than a dozen other animals such as snakes, lizards, and alligators. Police believe she was bitten by an urutu pit viper. A Dayton firefighter who collected snakes and lizards died in August 2003 after being bitten by one of them, an African rhinoceros viper. Venomous snakes and other wild animals were subsequently banned in Dayton.
Ohio has strong requirements to identify whose snakes are whose. The Ohio Division of Wildlife requires that captive snakes longer than 18 inches be implanted with a passive integrated transponder (PIT) -- a microchip approximately the size of a grain of rice.
However, when it comes to statewide rules on possessing dangerous exotic animals such as venomous snakes, Ohio's are among the weakest in the nation. The Humane Society of the United States urges Ohio to prohibit private possession of dangerous wild animals as pets. Keeping these animals in untrained hands threatens public health and safety as well as animal welfare. Wild animals belong in the wild, not in our basements and backyards.
While people should be mindful of the dangers of keeping venomous snakes as pets, they should also be respectful of these animals in the wild. We hope the film won't cause the public to overreact when they see a snake out where they belong.
N. Dean Vickers
State Program Coordinator-Ohio
Humane Society of the United States
Columbus
How Italian is Canfield?
EDITOR:
How can we expect to put Youngstown on the map and attract visitors when we can't even have our yearly Italian Festival in the city? If you think about it, Youngstown is the only town that goes out of the city to have their Italian Festival. Warren, Sharon and Lowellville all have their Italian festivals downtown.
This festival is about Italian-Americans in the Youngstown area, not Canfield, and there was even a time when very few Italian families lived there. They lived in Smoky Hollow, Brier Hill and the Eastside, Northside, Westside and Southside neighborhoods and many of them still do. All close to downtown Youngstown.
Why should we have the Italian festival in Canfield and have to pay $6 admission fee when we have a downtown that has been updated with large new sidewalks, new construction and the downtown square has been re-opened? By the way, I called the Canfield fairgrounds and asked them how much they charge to have the Italian festival there and the rental manager refused to tell me.
We all know that in its heyday, Youngstown had a great downtown. We have already moved the major department stores to Boardman's malls and plazas. This was the beginning of the end of this once booming downtown.
What are we going to move out of downtown next? Or perhaps we should ask the village of Canfield to move the Canfield Fair to downtown Youngstown?
JIMMY DEFRANK
Campbell