Child in House with Uncaged Snakes: Police

After police arrested Anthony R. Mahabir of Cortlandt on a criminal contempt charge, they found out that he kept snakes.

A lot of snakes.

And since he had been taken to the Westchester County Jail, and the snakes were in plastic containers instead of cages, and at least one was injured, the State Police, the SPCA Westchester Humane Law Enforcement Unit and the New York State Environmental Conservation Department removed them.

Mahabir was then charged with Endangering the Welfare of a Child. The New York State Environmental Conservation Department will be lodging separate charges against him for illegally possessing three pythons without a permit, police said.

Also charged in connection with the snakes was Victoria Mahabir, 46, for Endangering the Welfare of a Child.

Police said Mahabir knowingly allowed her child to reside in the house despite the fact that the reptiles were kept in unsecured Rubbermaid totes.

SPCA officials said 10 of the snakes, all boa constrictors and pythons, were in good condition according to reptile expert Chris Cooper who supervised the transfer of the snakes to the SPCA.

One, a Columbian Red-Tailed Boa, was euthanized at the shelter in Briarcliff Manor due to fatal injuries it had suffered at the Lake Peekskill home.

The largest snake, a 13-foot, male, Green Granite Burmese Python, weighed about 60 pounds, SPCA officials said. Two other large snakes are an Albino Burmese Python (11ft. long) and a young Burmese Python (5 ft. long).

“The SPCA of Westchester is once again indebted to Chris Cooper for the generosity of his knowledge and his time,” said SPCA Executive Director Shannon Laukhuf. “Chris was just recently at the shelter to assist us with the care of 35 lizards and turtles seized during an animal cruelty investigation in Port Chester. I think it’s fair to say that we are truly expanding our humane mission which has traditionally involved the protection and care of dogs, cats and horses.”

PHOTO/SPCA of Westchester