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Snakes in bush?

PA Wellington Snakes are being smuggled into New Zealand and may be living in the bush, said a Wellington Zoo director, Mr David Ellis, yesterday; Mr Ellis said he had no doubt about the existence of the reptiles throughout New Zealand. The Ministry of Agriculture last week declined an application by the Wellington Zoo to amend the Animals Act to allow the importation of snakes. Mr Ellis said that if Ministry officers made house-to-house searches in the Well-

ington region they would find quite a few snakes. "There are possibly now some in the bush,” he said. Small snakes and snake eggs were smuggled into the country. “There are a number of ways of getting, them through.” It was ironic that the! authorities had stopped the zoo from exhibiting them, Mr Ellis said. Fears of the consequences if the snakes escaped were ill-founded. The zoo did not want to import poisonous snakes.

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Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19810603.2.59

Bibliographic details

Press, 3 June 1981, Page 6

Word Count
155

Snakes in bush? Press, 3 June 1981, Page 6

Snakes in bush? Press, 3 June 1981, Page 6