In the wake of the awful tragedy that left dozens of exotics dead, their carcasses piled in the mud by authorities like so many trash bags on the side of the road, awful law proposals against the owners of "exotic" pets have begun.

First out of the gate in Ohio is House Bill No. 352, an emergency exotic law that appears to prevent ownership of most, if not all, pet snakes -- even the lowly pet corn snake.

A wide and sweeping proposal that so lacks details and definition that it essentially encompasses virtually any pet snake, HB 352 outlaws the possession of "A constricting snake."

Since the proposal fails to define what a "constricting snake" is, and since the overwhelming majority of snakes considered non-venomous are known to subdue their prey by "constriction," virtually every pet snake kept in the State of Ohio, which is likely to be in the hundreds of thousands if not millions, would be considered illegal under the ban.

Current Ohio residents who own a "constricting snake" would have 60 days to register if they met the state's criteria. The proposal is unclear as to what happens to people and their animals if they do not meet the state's registration criteria.

I would encourage all residents of Ohio to contact their elected representatives and ask them to clarify the proposal, specifically detailing the animals they intend to restrict, so that their laws allow people to keep their pet corn snakes and other "non-dangerous" snakes, and focus on the truly dangerous animals they really intend to restrict. And for pet owners in other states, be on the look out for more poorly-written laws headed your way, too.

To read the bill in its entirety please look at http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/BillText129/129_HB_352_I_N.html.

(Note. Originally this article referenced Garter Snakes as it's example and it was pointed out to me by a noted wildlife artist that Garter Snakes are not considered "true constrictors" so rather than argue semantics and field observations, the article has been changed to use the ubiquitous Corn Snake, perhaps the most commonly pet snake, equally non-dangerous, and without doubt a "true constrictor". Thank you John for keeping me honest. If I am asking them to be specific I need to be equally specific. And thanks to EricWi for bringing this legislation to my attention.)