by DOUG AUER
The five venomous snakes discovered in a Port Richmond apartment following a fire early Wednesday morning have been relocated to a rehabilitation facility, according to a spokesman for Animal Care & Control of New York City. The three copperheads, which are reddish in color, and the two timber rattlesnakes, both tan with dark markings and a lighter brown stripe down the backs, will undergo treatment before being either released back into the wild, pending the rehabilitator's assessment, or given to a licensed sanctuary, said AC&C spokesman Richard Gentles. Firefighters battling an attic fire at 89 Clinton Place found the reptiles in the second-level apartment. The snakes were confiscated by officers from Emergency Service Unit Truck 5 and taken to an animal rescue facility in Brooklyn. It is illegal to own venomous snakes without a license in New York, and police said their apparent owner, Kenneth Dirkes, was issued a summons. While the venom from a copperhead would mostly sicken the victim, said Gentles, a timber rattlesnake is more potent and its bite could be fatal. The young, old and/or sick are particularly susceptible due to weakened immune systems, Gentles added. Copperheads and timber rattlesnakes, which are a threatened species, are native to New York, according to the Department of Environmental Conservation's Web site. The agency is currently investigating where Dirkes got the snakes and if he was licensed to have them. Attempts to contact Dirkes have been unsuccessful.
 |
