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Council just looks at exotic pet rules By JIM DAVIS Don't buy I.D. tags for your pet snake just yet. The Medford City Council Wednesday showed a lack of interest in regulating exotic pets in Medford. "This is driven by one snake," said Councilman Skip Knight. "It's not like we've got hundreds of snakes out there gobbling up people's pets." The council looked at a possible ordinance after complaints about a 9-foot-long Burmese python that escaped three times in the middle of town this fall. Donnis Lausmann, wife of Mayor Jerry Lausmann, argued for the ordinance and said she was disappointed about the council's lack of response. She said several people were upset -- not just about the snake's escapes, but also about three men with snakes in a city park earlier this year. "You've got to have a dog license, don't you?" she said. At the study session, City Attorney Gene Hart gave the council a packet of ordinances in place in other Oregon communities. Hart said Portland prohibits residents from owning certain exotic animals. Other communities, such as Bend and Hillsboro, allow residents to have exotic pets but require they do not run at large. Other communities require licensing exotics. Medford has no law regulating exotic pets. "The concept is real good, but implementing this can be a can of worms," said Knight. Councilman Rob Patridge said an ordinance could drive people to go underground or keep quiet when a snake escaped from their home. "Then some people aren't going to report their exotic pets are lost," Patridge said. "Then you don't know what's on the loose.'' Peggy Schmaltz, owner of Nui Kai Fish and Animals, a Medford pet store, organized a petition signed by about 250 people asking the council not to ban the sale of exotics in Medford. She said she was glad the issue didn't go any further than discussion. "I'd rather see the police department worry about drug dealers and all that rather than worry about snakes," Schmaltz said. "I think this is real important not to let this get out of hand." She said she would support a ban on certain exotics -- such as venomous snakes -- but she worried about a "knee-jerk" law. As for Wilma, Medford residents needn't worry about that particular snake any more. Wilma -- actually Wilmont and a Burmese python rather than a boa constrictor, as its owners initially thought -- now spends its time with an Ashland family. Its Medford owners gave up the snake to Jackson County Animal Control after it escaped three times this fall. In other action Wednesday, the council in executive session evaluated City Manager Michael Dyal, who started in July. The council issued a statement afterward saying it gave Dyal a unanimous "vote of confidence." Another evaluation is set in May. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford, Oregon USA