In a special room of his South Jordan home, Ric Blair has about 1,000 snakes enclosed in oak cabinets. In a nursery upstairs are his babies — 500 of them.
Some are boa constrictors, others indigo snakes. Then there's the one he really marvels at, his toylike albino Honduran milk snake.
"Reptiles are not like dogs and cats," Blair says. "Reptiles are so much more fascinating. They're something that you can see in nature. And the things you can see in nature are the most interesting."
Blair, a 47-year-old building contractor, is one of a dozen snake collectors and breeders in Utah who say state regulators are poisoning their exotic-snake business with "Draconian" rules.
"They're doing this to make it as impractical as possible to have these animals," added Jeff Mitchell, spokesman for the Reptile Amphibian Negotiating Association, which represents a small group of snake breeders in Utah.
His group plans to lobby the Utah Legislature this session to change the state rule that covers the "Collection, Importation and Possession of Zoological Animals" and is administered by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.
They argue the rules are so restrictive that under the law, goldfish owners could find themselves in serious trouble if conservation officers think they are treating their fish badly.
"If somebody is mistreating wildlife it's our business," said Matthew Andersen, native aquatic species coordinator with Wildlife Resources. "But it's a little extreme to expect a conservation officer would have time to check on fish violations."
At issue is a Utah law that prohibits the collection of exotic animals such as snakes that are on the federally protected Endangered Species List. In Utah, it is also illegal to possess venomous reptiles like Gila monsters, a poisonous lizard found in southern Utah.
There are exceptions, however. Researchers can seek permission from Wildlife Resources to study exotic species like the Painted Desert glossy snake, found in southern Utah and northern Arizona.
"We are excited to support that," Andersen said. "That's information we don't have time to collect."
And snake collectors can buy non-native Utah snakes and breed them. They also can breed a few species found in Utah, such as the California kingsnake, as long as the snakes are legally obtained elsewhere.
Mitchell has been an outspoken critic of the law for years. It's the latest changes recently approved by the Wildlife Board that has him really hissing.
"The rule has a lot of problems," he said. "It is intended to block us from having the animals altogether. It's very Draconian."
Ironically, wildlife officials lifted some restrictions.
Under the old law, it was illegal to even own a California kingsnake. Yet some 10,000 of them are in Utah homes. So, wildlife officials decided that it is now OK to possess the snake, just not capture them in the hillsides of Washington County where they live.
"We recognize they are a popular species that can be collected in other states," Andersen said. "We feel the possession should be legal."
It's the collection of Utah species that has the snake breeders at odds with wildlife officials.
Snake collectors believe there are some species so common that removing a few wouldn't do any harm. They argue if Wildlife Resources can sell a hunting and fishing license, why can't there be a snake license?
Andersen believes that argument is a little disingenuous.
"There's a clear distinction," Andersen responded. "They are not talking about collecting an animal and bringing it home to keep it. It's been my experience with some members of this group that they are breeding animals for commercial sale.
"We draw a dark line between possession of a species and breeding of the animal," he added. Brine shrimp and elk are wildlife the state has recognized has economic potential and allows harvesting.
Yet when it comes to snakes, that's a different species all together. And snake collectors don't understand it.
"We've got elk that people keep. There are birds. This is what man has been doing since the beginning of time," Blair said. "People are totally fascinated with animals. If more people kept reptiles, they wouldn't be afraid of them."
Andersen says he has tried meeting with the group to work out differences. And wildlife officials even scrapped a proposal that would have made it illegal to bring an exotic species into Utah.
For instance, there's no prohibition against owning a Burmese python, found in southeast Asia, because it is protected by international law that allows breeding the animals in the United States and selling the progeny.
"We agreed to remove the restrictions," Andersen said. "We recognize there is a legitimate trade there, and we'll not be involved in that."
Another point of contention is a $50 fee required to possess snakes native to Utah, even certain kinds of garter snakes. That money is paid to Wildlife Resources for a "Certificate of Registration," used to help wildlife biologists track the number of species out there.
For species obtained outside Utah a permit isn't required. So, Blair can breed boa constrictors without one.
Wildlife officials say the intent of the law is to stop the commercialization of Utah's wildlife.
"Wildlife in the state of Utah belongs to the state of Utah," Andersen said
The law also prohibits the international market that specialists describe as an "underground zoo," where rare poisonous snakes are bought and sold as pets and mates for other snakes. Poisonous snakes can sell for hundreds of dollars apiece, depending on the breed.
To many people the idea of a snake hanging around gives them the heebie-jeebies. Yet there are those who share a fascination with snakes and a desire to control an animal that terrifies many people.
Blair became obsessed with collecting and studying snakes at age 12. His fascination escalated to what now has become a $400,000 investment.
"It's my hobby," said Blair. "But I do make some money on some snakes. I don't buy a snake to sell it. I raise it and sell the babies," much like dog breeders do, he added.
But collecting snakes means more than that. Blair likes to be surrounded by something that is wild and beautiful.
"Someday when I retire, I'll have 36 acres in Texas," he said wistfully, "then it will really give way to too many snakes."
E-mail: donna@desnews.com