The snakes, a ball python and a boa constrictor, which the police found during a search in Bar and which were moved to the Natural History Museum in Podgorica, were kept without a permit, and the owner Slavica Milosevic she never officially applied to the authorities for permission.
This is what the Environmental Protection Agency of Montenegro (EPA) told "Vijesta".
The editors submitted the inquiry to the Agency after the owner of the snake addressed her, from whom the python and the boa constrictor were taken away following an anonymous report.
Milošević submitted to the newsroom a copy of the statement she gave to the police on November 24 and, in addition, stated that "the anonymous perpetrator of false slander will be found."
In her statement, among other things, she stated that during the search, two snakes were found in one of the rooms of the family house, in two separate terrariums.
"One is a boa constrictor and the other is a ball python. The animals in question are my pets," she states.
In her statement to the police, Milosevic said that she got the snakes from a friend for her birthday.
"I received a newborn baby ball python and a boa for my birthday from a friend from Podgorica, who has a Montenegrin breeding ground for snakes, a year ago and I raised them in my apartment, in adequate conditions, i.e. terrariums, according to all standards for breeding snakes.
The Agency told the newsroom that they are not aware that any natural or legal person in the country breeds these snakes.
"And if he grows them, then these are illegal activities," said the EPA.
They also explained under what conditions the reproduction of those species would be allowed.
"The farming of CITES species must be strictly controlled, in terms of issuing permits for farming, origin of specimens, control of capacities and conditions for farming, as well as registration of farming of individuals, exclusively originating from farming in the Administrative Authority for CITES in Montenegro, The Agency for Environmental Protection and the CITES Secretariat", they told "Vijesta".
Asked about the origin of the animals, whether she has proof of origin, ownership... Milosevic told the police that she had no proof.
"For those snakes, I do not have any proof of origin, in terms of documentation, nor can these animals be registered under our positive legislation. I have repeatedly inquired, called the institutions, from the Environmental Protection Agency, the ecological inspection, how to register terrariums for snakes, how to register and chip them, but I absolutely did not receive a positive answer...", he writes in the statement that she gave it to the inspectors, a copy of which she also delivered to the editorial office.
The Environmental Protection Agency told "Vijesta" that Milošević never officially addressed them.
"Until today, the agency has not received an official request for holding snakes and conducting administrative proceedings from Ms. Milošević. Likewise, neither a letter/email was delegated/addressed to the Agency, nor to the officer in charge of monitoring this area, so that the party could possibly become familiar with the procedure for obtaining a permit and/or the conditions for keeping the snakes in question," they told "Vijesti".
They also explained that the ball python and boa constrictor are non-native species of snakes, protected by the Convention on Trade in Protected Species of Flora and Fauna and Their Parts and Derivatives (CItes), and that they are on Appendix II of that Convention.
"Given that the species in question are protected, anyone who intends to keep them must first obtain a keeping permit from the Environmental Protection Agency, with the condition that the owner of the snakes has a document proving their origin," they told "Vijesta" ".
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