Illegal Seizure-Sensing Snake

01/23/2012

I've heard of seizure-sensing dogs, but never a seizure-sensing snake!  This is a pretty amazing--and odd--tale of an animal helping a human.  Unfortunately, it's also technically illegal.

Redrock is a red-tailed boa constrictor, a popular species in the pet trade.  His human companion Daniel Green suffers from seizures and considers Redrock a service animal similar to a seeing eye dog for a person who is blind.

Greene claims that Redrock can sense a seizure coming on moments before it hits, giving him time to take the medication he needs to control the seizure.

He told PeoplePets.com, "Redrock is a service animal for me.  He sees increases in my blood pressure, or detects changes in my body three minutes before I have a seizure. He alerted me about the three seizures I have had this month."

Redrock squeezes Greene's neck when he senses an imminent seizure and then crawls to saftey inside his carrier. 

Despite this, the federal government does not recognize snakes on the list of approved service animal species, in part because they are considered potentially alarming to other members of the public. 

What do you think about this?  Should snakes be allowed to be service animals?

Photo of Daniel Greene and Redrock the boa constrictor by Mike Kane/Zuma via PeoplePets.com.

 

Comments

[Christina]

Absolutely snakes should be allowed to be service animals, we all know they can sense things even dogs can't, they just have to come up with a way to train them to alert people the way this snake does.

There are service dogs and service horses, even service pigs, there are members of the public with extreme fears of these animals and yet they are still service animals. If someone doesn't like the animal they can walk away.

[Dani]

"Despite this, the federal government does not recognize snakes on the list of approved service animal species, in part because they are considered potentially alarming to other members of the public."

Snakes are alarming to other members of the public.. I am severely allergic to both dogs and horses; two examples of accepted service animals. I am not allergic to snakes however. If they would be scientifically proven to have the ability to detect seizures I would certainly support a bill pushing them (snakes) to be recognized as accepted service animals. I know I'm not the only one who suffers when someone brings their service dog into a building- for me anaphylaxis sets on within seconds of exposure and I am forced to leave the building immediately.

[Tricia]

I think that if he is depending on the snake for help, then he should discount the possibility of most humans helping him during a seizure. These animals are potentially harmful. We still hear news reports about babies being squeezed to death by them. See, for instance: http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/article1015026.ece

[Tyger]

I think it's a pity that this amazing snake is not legal. Constrictor type snakes are potentially much less dangerous than dogs.

[Kelly]

I personally would think that snakes would be IDEAL service animals. They require no additional room as opposed to say a service dog, they don't produce allergens in the immediate environment like a dog would AND they offer different sensitivities that other animals can't provide. Why not let them be service animals?

[Carol]

Yes! If it helps someone out there in need then yes I'd say so...the larger service animals are harder to get and are expensive....from what I've heard anyhow....Seizure Sensing Snakes....I see nothing wrong with it...while I am not a snake person, if someone carries a non venomous snake on their person and doesn't wave it around in my face I am not bothered by it at all!

[Ashley]

Hey, to each his own and if this snake is what he needs to properly manage his seizures then I'm okay with it and I think it should be okay with other people. And if you think about it Snakes take up less room and make less mess than dogs and since it stays on his shoulders people that are afraid of snakes aren't forced to be near it if they don't want to.

[Leandra]

I most certainly think they should be allowed. I believe they would be a lot less disruptive to the owner than a dog/horse. They take a lot less space, require less food/care, and don't produce the allergens that the other approved service animals do. Plus if that's the animal that fits with this mans lifestyle more so than an approved service animal, more power to the both of them. :)

[Hannah]

I personally believe that this should be legal, but at the same time I could see why peopel would be against it. If you were out in public and saw a snake squeezing a guy around the neck, you might be a little worried to say the least.

[Sarah]

GO DANIEL GREEN!

As I snake owner I would support this 100% provided the owners took the proper care of them. I see no disadvantages- Snakes live longer than dogs and would probably never have to be retired.

Only a lack of understanding by others would prevent this from happening.

[Tara]

Other countries have been using various animals for services such as Germany with Vultures, Tanzania / Dutch trains giant rats, and so on. It's a shame the US isn't as resourceful or forward thinking as others on the subject. On the other hand I believe it should be a decision of the communities these people live in and that the federal government should have no part in deciding how a 'disabled' person should live their day to day lives. I read some articles about people having phobias of snakes and upon seeing a "service" snake throwing a fit about it. On this note I just want to point out that a phobia is something anyone can have cured and is usually an irrational fear. Why should everyone else, especially people with real health problems that cannot be cured so readily, have to suffer?

[Jennifer]

I think each animal should be evaluated individually. Every animal has its own temperament. I think people need to stop descriminating against animals based on breed, species, etc. and start treating them somewhat as individuals. These types of sensitive animals should be appreciated and recognized.

[Adromyda]

It's neat that this snake works like that for him, but I'm not sure how you could train a snake to do something similar for someone else. I guess if they can be trained that would be neat to see... but they don't seem like the type of animal that could really be that reliable.. Also, as a reptile, they carry salmonilla I believe. So, that's something to consider as well.

[Ashlee]

Absolutely!

[Jamie]

For those who believe snakes shouldn't be kept because they are "dangerous":
Shall I remind you that dogs, cats, and virtually any other pet can also become dangerous? "More than 350000 dog bite victims are seen in emergency rooms every year." According to the Animal Protection Institute (API) website and various news sources, 19 people were killed by captive reptiles in the USA between 1995 and 2008. (Not all of those were even snakes) Fact is, snake can be dangerous, just like any other pet, if placed in the wrong hands.

http://www.venomousreptiles.org/forums/Experts/33914

[elizabeth whiteley]

i think these snakes need to be because they can sense temperature of humans and they need to be ..so yes ! put them on the list we had a ball point python and he could sense my daughters back ache...

[heidi cochran]

I personally think if the Boa works for this gentleman then he should be able to consider it his seeing eye snake. If there has been no documented medical reports of him being harmed by the Boa then why cant he have it as his seeing eye snake. The Boa is detecting life threating medical issues that save his life and to me that's a capanion I'd want to keep too.

[Kathleen Schormann]

Absolutely!

[Katherine]

Having personally bonded with a ball python I say yes, he should be allowed to have his snake as a service animal.

[jennifer]

I think if it actually does that then sure he should be able to use it HOWEVER I personally would have picked a smaller snake breed rather than a red tail boa cause that snake on his neck is just a baby . Those snakes easilly reach 7-8+ feet so i dont really see an old guy walkin around with a snake that big around his neck especially when it is trained to squeeze when a siezure is coming . That alone would prob give him siezures or end them totally lol . And to the retard sayin snakes go around eating babies , if your not grown up enough to watch the news and not be a retard please turn back to the cartoon channel . That happening is soo rare and always the stupid peoples fault and the snake is usually starving and most animals would do that in its situation . People that think we should run our lives around thier fears need to realize the world doesnt revolve around them and get over it .

[A.F. for Animal Planet]

It's an unconventional choice, but if this gentleman is convinced that this snake is a help to him, than I say why not?

[yana]

PLEASE VOTE and SAVE ANIMALS from CRUELTY:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/3/cruelty-free-no-animal-ingredients/

[Cindy]

I am absolutely terrified of snakes (an understatement). However, if a snake will save another's life, then that should be their service companion. I have the ability to leave the area.

[Debi J]

While almost all animals can sense changes in humans, the only ones that can be service animals are those that are smart enough to know what they mean to let the human know. However, snakes seem to have the largest number of people with phobias about them. Should a snake come into my building and I see it, even if it was around someone's neck or in a carrier, I would panic. I can't even be in the room with a dead snake - and I have a degree in Biology and environmental science! I don't think snakes have the intelligence to be able to alert the human, and it has the ability to frighten anyone around it, so it shouldn't be recognized as a service animal. What's next, someone's cobra being their service animal? Or maybe a big hairy sewer rat?

[Debi J]

Jennifer J: "...And to the retard sayin snakes go around..." Please refrain from using terms like that. Mental retardation is not anything to make derogatory comments about. As much as I dislike snakes, I'd rather have a snake than someone mal-aligning someone who was born with Mental Retardation.