RantCrush Top 5: July 7, 2017

A man in California was arrested after 100 venomous snakes and dozens of reptiles were confiscated from his home and another property. Despite having a bunch of permits for the animals, the man was reportedly keeping the deadly poisonous snakes illegally. His property is in a densely populated neighborhood so the snakes posed “a substantial risk to public safety,” according to officials. The snakes included spitting cobras and rattlesnakes. There were 80 in the man’s home alone.

The investigation started after someone ran over a poisonous cobra with their car eight weeks ago. That one was the second sighting of a cobra in the neighborhood in the past three years; in 2014, one bit a dog. Both the snakes were believed to have escaped from the man’s properties. Searches of the buildings took hours, and a poisonous red-bellied black snake seems to have escaped–authorities have asked anyone who sees it to call 911.

Ok, I’m avoiding Thousand Oaks for the next 5 years now: https://t.co/EaTQViKPau

— Tyler (@ninjarobot5000) July 6, 2017

I can deal with the horses, goats, and chickens in my neighborhood. But not alligators and cobras ‍♂️ https://t.co/jmIMm87754

— Josh (@reyes_ja) July 6, 2017

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.