CARBONDALE -- The city of Carbondale is trying to make sense of a menagerie at a home in the city.
Nearly 90 pets, including 72 snakes, were discovered by city officials this month.
All those animals may not be against the rules, so the mayor is wondering if the rules should change.
Carbondale city officials said employees for the Area Agency on Aging asked them to check out the home this month. That's when they discovered nine cats, a dog, a turtle, a rabbit, two geckos, a parrot, and 72 snakes.
That prompted Carbondale's mayor and code enforcement officer to wonder how many pets is too many? And should the city have a say in it?
Inside a tall stack of plastic containers are 72 snakes carefully counted by a Lackawanna County humane officer and Carbondale's code enforcement officer Chris Pezak.
"It's the first time we've run into something since I've been here, and yes, it's puzzling. We don't know what our next step is," Pezak said.
Pezak said an employee from the Area Agency on Aging alerted Carbondale to the collection of snakes that also share the home with 15 other animals and two people.
The humane officers said most of the pets appeared healthy.
But Carbondale Mayor Justin Taylor wonders if having nearly 90 animals in a home is safe. He said that the dozens of snakes fall through a loophole in Carbondale's zoning and code laws.
"It appears we do not have an ordinance on point here for 72 snakes. We have a number of ordinances that talk about what animals are domesticated and what are not. And, of course, domesticated animals are obviously allowed. Even with that, you get into, what's a reasonable number?" said Mayor Taylor.
The snake case fell on the mayor's desk at the same time city employees started handing out dog licenses. That's why Becky Galaydick came to city hall. She shivered at the thought of 72 snakes.
"I think the law should change, you know, something should be done. That's a lot of pets, especially in a city where there's really no land. I mean, there's land, but not a lot of it depending on where this is at," Galaydick said.
Since there's nothing on the books in Carbondale stating how many pets is too many, Pezak is investigating whether all the snakes may be for sale. That would violate zoning laws.
"We're looking at all different options. The reasons even why. Is someone breeding them for profit? Are they selling them? Are they considered pets? Again, like you said, it's a gray area," said Pezak.
Pezak and Mayor Taylor said the collection of snakes may set a precedent in Carbondale. The mayor said he will work with the city's zoning solicitor and city council to see if they can write an ordinance limiting the amount of animals someone can have in their home.
For now though, the owner of the snakes is not facing any criminal charges or repercussions from the city.
