Officials Ban Snakes on Beach Popular with Louisiana Visitors

Snakes are not uncommon in Louisiana. In fact, I would hazard to guess that Louisiana's climate and the kind of climate a lot of snakes like probably match up pretty well. Still, if you were to ask most folks from Louisiana how they feel about snakes you'd probably get a thumbs-down response.

Now, don't get me wrong, we aren't a state filled with snake haters who want to get rid of all snakes, we're just content to let the snakes have their space and we have our space and hopefully, the two worlds won't collide. And if you'd like to know more about snakes in Louisiana, these folks, at Louisiana Snake ID can teach you an awful lot about them.

One thing I do know about snakes is that they are not welcome on one of Louisiana's favorite Gulf Coast Beaches. The city of Orange Beach Alabama has recently amended its "exotic animal" policy so you may no longer bring your pet snake to any of that city's public beaches.

Orange Beach actually just made it against the law to possess an exotic animal within the city limits. This new amendment applies to certain snakes, monkeys, wildcats, and just any other animal that requires special care or consideration beyond that of a typical household pet.

The Orange Beach Council opted to change the city's exotic animal rules to an outright ban before there were any incidents. It was reported that this change in policy was not sparked by a snake on the beach incident or a monkey loose in a condo conundrum. According to reports, the Orange Beach Council just decided to make a proactive decision on the subject.

Incidentally, according to Al.com, these animals are not allowed within the city limits of Orange Beach,

monkey, alligator, crocodile, caiman, raccoon, skunk, fox, bear, sea mammal, poisonous snake, any non-domestic cat, any non-domestic canine species, or any animal that requires a standard of care and control greater than what is required for the customary household pet sold by a commercial pet shop or domestic farm animals.

So, even if you were just bringing your animals down to the beach for an epic Instagram photo shoot you can't. At least not at Orange Beach. Incidentally, Gulf Shores, the city right next to Orange Beach has had similar laws on the books since the late 1990's.

Should you encounter any wild or exotic animals during your time at the beach, make sure you have a current recipe handy and use one of these suggested seasonings.