MBTA Charges Snake Owner For Red Line Clean Up

February 23, 2011 12:41 AM

Melissa Moorhouse and husband, Ray, with their boa, Penelope. (Photo courtesy: Matthew J. Lee/Boston Globe)

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Boa, MBTA, Melissa Moorhouse, Missing Snake, Penelope, Red Line, Snake, Train

BOSTON (CBS) — The woman who lost her snake on a Red Line train in Boston in January is now being ordered to pay the MBTA $600.

Melissa Moorhouse lost her 3-foot boa “Penelope” at some point between Park Street and Andrew stops. The snake had been draped over her shoulders.

The snake was missing for several weeks a commuter spotted it and alerted a train attendant at the Savin Hill station.

The MBTA took the train out of service to search it.

READ: MBTA’s Letter To Moorhouse

Several hours later that train attendant Sharon Lynch — a snake owner herself — caught the snake.

Now the MBTA is charging Moorhouse because it had to disinfect the train car to get rid of any germs like salmonella.

In a letter to Moorhouse, the MBTA also reminds the snake owner that if she continues to bring the snake on the train, as she has said she would do, the snake should be in a secured pet carrier.

MBTA Charges Snake Owner For Red Line Clean Up

Cynic

How can they Order her to pay?…Shouldn’t they have to sue her for damages? Wouldn’t they have to show that the expence was necessary? Wouldn’t they have to have reason to believe that snakes have the germs?
cynic

Wouldn’t they have to show that they HAD TO disinfect the train? Will they now have to disinfect the trains every time people bring Snakes on ? After all they do have ‘Germs Like Salmonella” Right?
Cynic

Are ” Secured Pet carriers” Germ proof? We know the Snake can’t get out of the carriers but how about the “Germs Like Salmonella”?
Cynic

2 Questions…Was it really necessary for WBZ to piblish the womans home address and 2. Does it take a snake on the train to get the T to was the freakin’ floors.
ed

Look how many snakes ride the “T” to work on a daily basis!
So many of them haven’t seen a shower lately!
Leave her alone!

blackbear1

No ed, she shouldn’t be left alone. This was stupid!! The thought of a snake on a commuter train; please!! it required extra cost to search for this creature, etc plus she was in noncompliance of the pet carrier rule. She must pay the piper somewhere here.

http://boston.cbslocal.com/2011/02/23/keller-large-handing-out-%e2%80%98idiot-tickets%e2%80%99/ Keller @ Large: Handing Out ‘Idiot Tickets’ « CBS Boston

[...] now the T has sent Melissa a bill for $650 to cover their cleaning [...]
http://boston.cbslocal.com/2011/02/23/%e2%80%98snake-woman%e2%80%99-i-can%e2%80%99t-pay-650-mbta-cleaning-bill/ ‘Snake Woman’ Melissa Moorhouse: I Can’t Pay MBTA’s $650 Red Line Cleaning BillCBS Boston

[...] Tuesday, the T sent her a bill for $650 to cover the cost of sanitizing the [...]
Jazz

Snakes carry salmonella according to the Centers for Disease Control website http://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/animals/reptiles.htm

If you had a low immune system or young children, would you let them sit in snake feces? Grow up and pay up instead of passing the buck.
http://boston.cbslocal.com/2012/11/01/red-line-ride-turns-south-boston-stroller-cat-into-web-sensation/ Red Line Ride Turns South Boston ‘Stroller Cat’ Into Web Sensation « CBS Boston

[...] the way, cats, dogs, and even snakes are allowed on the MBTA, as long as they are [...]