NY resident with 850 snakes plans to open a store

Human beings enjoy collecting things. From rocks, to guitars, to Pez dispensers, to rare coins – collections have been formed around just about anything. From living creatures to inanimate objects, people find a thrill in collecting something that has some kind of meaning in their life. For some, collections can go from a healthy hobby, to a hoarding issue pretty quickly. The line between collecting and hoarding is a thin one, and for some people, the distinction between the two is hard to make. One man in New York who has been cited for his “collection,” is taking a different approach and opening a store where people can buy and pay for his slithering collection.

Richard Parrinello lives in Long Island, and was cited earlier this month for not having proper permits when it comes to housing more than 850 snakes in his garage. The animal control officer is reportedly moving the snakes to a storage building until he is able to open a store where he can sell his snake collection. Earlier this month, authorities were alerted of the high volume of snakes in Parrinello’s garage, and removed two six-foot Burmese pythons from the premises. That particular breed of snakes is illegal to own in the state of New York without proper permits.

Parrinello reports that moving the snakes is tricky, as this time of year marks the end of their breeding season. The town of Brookhaven, New York, reports that Parrinello is cooperating with their request to remove his snake collection from his property.