A snake fanatic was discovered allowing 20 enormous Burmese pythons to freely roam his home, which also housed hundreds of rats and bunnies. Martin ‘Marty’ Bone, 64, was arrested in Holladay, Utah, on Friday for almost two dozen charges involving exotic animals and pets. Eight of the snakes were over 10 feet long, while others were smaller, according to police. According to ABC 4’s Detective Ken Hansen, officers discovered 585 rats and 46 rabbits in addition to the snakes. It’s unclear if the creatures were designed to be snake food.
‘One of the issues that we discovered was the amount of rubbish produced by the animals, which gave the area a distinct odor,’ Hansen noted. The snakes were said to be slithering around the house while the other animals were confined in outdoor enclosures. According to Hansen, every of the animals had to be examined by a veterinarian in order to complete the investigation. Hansen stated, ‘We had animal control and a veterinarian there.’ ‘As a result, every animal that was collected from there was investigated, including the snakes, rats, and rabbits.’
Bone claimed to have recently sold a baby Burmese Python to an undercover investigator who reached out to him over Facebook. Since 2017, the snake owner had also neglected to file for or get a permit for the snakes, which Bone maintained was false. ‘I was first notified in 2014 that I needed to comply with these licenses,’ he continued, ‘but I didn’t receive further communication after that and thought my permits were up to date.’ The animals were allegedly discovered with two morphine vials, a gun, and $2000, but Hansen maintained that the animals were the main accusations.
‘He was charged with trading exotic animals,’ Hansen stated. ‘I believe the primary portion of this was selling the Burmese Pythons, but it’ll move on to some drug charges and other things,’ adds the prosecutor. Bone has been charged with 20 counts of failure to obtain an exotic animal licence. He was detained, but he has since been released on bond. It’s unknown what happened to the animals at this time, but officials say they’re in the care of police and animal control.
