Norwegians keep 35,000 illegal snakes

Norwegians are harbouring some 35,000 snakes illegally in their homes, defying a national ban on keeping the animals as pets, a report by the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research has revealed.

Published: 8 August 2013 08:50 CEST

Boa constrictor

The agency estimated that Norwegian snake-enthusiasts were keeping some 10,000 ball pythons, 6,000 boa constrictors, and 1,000 tiger pythons, as well as more than 70,000 lizards of various types.

The research was carried out to inform plans earlier this year to legalise reptile and snake ownership, plans that have since been blocked by Agriculture Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum.

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