# Stop using snakes as a weapon



## Johnny Thunder (Feb 24, 2006)

* Snake goes from weapon to wounded
*
Fri Sep 8, 5:07 PM ET

Snake's alive! A boa constrictor was recovering Friday at a Manhattan animal shelter, one day after it was injured by a man who was waving the six-foot snake at passers-by on a Brooklyn street, authorities said.

"The boa is resting, healing, and our medical technicians are keeping an eye on it," said Richard Gentles, spokesman for the Manhattan Animal Care Center.

The snake was brought to the facility on Thursday with an injury to its lower jaw, reportedly when the man stabbed the boa with scissors.

Center authorities planned to transfer the snake to a permanent home outside of New York City, where the creatures are illegal, Gentles said. A licensed wildlife rehabilitator will take custody of the wounded snake.

"Sometimes they go to zoos, sometimes to sanctuaries, and sometimes they're used for educational purposes," he said.


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