Of the 292 people, businesses and organizations licensed for venomous reptiles statewide, six are in Marion County. Are there any near you?

The rules recently got stricter for the six people in Marion County licensed to keep venomous reptiles.

Of course that didn't stop a 2-foot-long tan-and-yellow monocled cobra from getting away Monday night from one of those license holders. It slithered from Brian Purdy's secure room at 905 NE Fifth St. in Ocala. On Wednesday, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers were still looking for it.

FWC spokesman Robert Klepper said the agency’s "first concern is public safety."

In November, the commission approved additional safety rules developed over the previous year. The changes included:

+ Creation of a secondary containment requirement for venomous reptiles – for example, a structurally sound escape-proof room or outbuilding.

+ Making licensees and employees both responsible for any employees’ care, use or possession of a licensee’s venomous reptiles.

+ Clarification of reporting requirements by licensees for escapes and bites.

Klepper said that when the commission, which meets five times a year, is considering any modifications that may affect a particular stakeholder group, including venomous reptile permit holders, they schedule a meeting and solicit input from the public.

Before the changes were adopted in November, FWC’s captive wildlife staff formed a technical assistance group of industry and herpetological experts that met twice to hear recommendations, while staff solicited advice from industry experts and the public. Then they drafted new rules for venomous reptiles.

According to FWC officials, a license is required to capture, keep, possess or exhibit any poisonous or venomous reptiles. The application process is rigorous and applicants must provide a complete inventory of reptiles, have at least 1,000 hours of experience for each family of venomous reptile requested, maintain an incident/disaster plan and a venomous reptile bite protocol, and provide at least two references, one of whom must have a venomous reptile permit.

Those seeking the license must pay a fee of $100 and also have a bond of $10,000.

License holders undergo inspection once a year.

In late 2015 and early 2016, FWC officials inspected all permit holders, whether it was their time to be inspected or not.

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Of the 292 people, businesses and organizations that currently are licensed for venomous reptiles statewide, six are in Marion County:

+ Michael Bell, 12550 S. County Road 475, Ocala

+ John O'Shields, 14714 NE 250th Ave., Salt Springs

+ Brian Purdy, 905 NE Fifth St., Ocala

+ Leeman Moore, 12850 NE 210th St. Road, Fort McCoy

+ Kevin Brown, 6110 SE 135th St., Summerfield

+ Eugene Trescott Jr., 941 W. Cadima Place, Dunnellon

Moore is the owner of Serpentoxin Laboratory. He said he has been working with venomous snakes for 40 years and extracts venom to sell for research. He said he currently has five rattlesnakes, but has an area that can maintain up to 60 rattlesnakes.

“My enclosures are up to code and are inspected every year,” he said.

Moore said he attended an FWC meeting in Gainesville in the mid-2000s, which was “constructive.” He said FWC officials are very strict and that licensees like him have to have all the required records for each snake.

“Everything has to be accounted for,” Moore said.

Moore said he "lives in the woods where the rattlesnakes live." He described venomous snakes as a "live, high-voltage wire with a mind.”

"There is no room for error" when dealing with them, he said. “You have to concentrate at all times and use every measure of caution."

Moore said the chance is slim that the missing cobra in Ocala would bite someone who does not mess with it. Such reptiles become defensive when corned, he said, and pets and young children could be at risk because they would have curiosity about the snake and might try to reach out to it.

Purdy, the owner of the missing monocled cobra, has held a venomous reptile permit license since May 2016. His last inspection was Dec. 15, 2016, and he had no violations. At the time, his inventory included the cobra, a gaboon viper and an African bush viper.

Purdy was not home at the time when the cobra escaped. An apprentice did not see the snake in its confinement area and tried different tactics to get it to move around. He got a shield and lifted the top cover of the cage. The cobra jumped at him and then slid away. He made sure the room was secure and called Purdy, who notified the FWC.

According to FWC officials, the apprentice should not have been in the snake room without Purdy present.

Contact Austin L. Miller at 867-4118, austin.miller@starbanner.com or @almillerosb.