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Nearly 7-foot long snake shot by state trooper

tricksterpup

tricksterpup

I has nuttin to Say.
This is a sad story, another escaped or released snake killed mindlessly.
Nearly 7-foot long snake shot by state trooper
by The Grand Rapids Press
Monday August 18, 2008, 3:45 PM
Courtesy PhotoA Michigan state trooper holds a 6-foot-10 snake that was shot and killed in Port Sheldon Township.

WEST OLIVE -- A state trooper shot and killed a nearly 7-foot long snake, believed to be a Burmese python, after it slithered onto a Port Sheldon Township road and was acting aggressively toward passing motorists.

Trooper Bill Coon, of the Grand Haven post, used his .40-caliber handgun to shoot the snake after nearby homeowner Brian Ahlin ran it over with his pickup several times to try to kill it. Ahlin and another motorist called police after finding the snake on 156th Avenue south of Croswell Street.

Ahlin was worried it might attack children in the area or pose a danger to pets.

Police suspect the snake was set loose by someone who no longer wanted the animal or it simply escaped a home. The snake measured 6-foot, 10-inches.

Ahlin said his pickup did not seem to cause any injury to the snake, which lunged at his truck.

"I didn't do a darn thing to it. It was like going over a rubber hose," he said.

Coon said the snake also lunged at him as he approached.

Neighbors said wildlife is common in the area, but not huge snakes.

"This was very different," Ahlin said. "The only thing you see around here is deer and turkey," he said.
Click to expand...

This article can be found at The Grand Rapids Press.
 
Here is the picture of the Officer and his prey. :realhot:
snake-300.jpg
 
That guy is a 3' tall man with "little man syndrome." Bet he feels like a big hero today. What a richard.
 
I am sure the idiot with the truck already did some harm to the snake. What also concerns me is the Idiot cop discharged his weapon on this animal in a neighborhood with children present. Imagine if the ricochet hit your house? or shot one of your children? This man was truly an idiot and panicked. I hope many residents complain and get this guy suspended. I think he is more a harm to the community than a 6 foot RTB.
 
. . . aaaaaannd . . . what about the flippin' idiot that let the snake get out that started this whole thing in the first place??!! That would, in my humble opinion, be the person that our/your anger should be directed at. The "guy in the truck" and the police officer re-acted out of "fear". The idiot that either let the snake go, or didn't house it properly, is truly to blame . . . don'cha think . . . just a little? There wouldn't be a story if it wasn't for that person . . . I'm just sayin'. :shrugs:

D80
 
Yeah, what about that guy!! :twoguns:

Was it in the story that someone just released him? I must have missed that. But what does one do if their python happens to go missing? I certainly wouldn't call the police. Who ya gonna call?
 
LBoz said:
Was it in the story that someone just released him? I must have missed that. But what does one do if their python happens to go missing?
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I think it was in the story that they don't know if someone released it or it got out. Either way, that's the true person responsible for the mess . . . I'm not condoning what the "guy in the truck" or the police officer did . . . I'm just placing appropriate blame. I think Deano mentioned once upon a time about the number of people that get slambasted for co-habbing, but the people that lose snakes from their cages are met with sympathy. I know that at some point we've all probably had a snake or two get out . . . BUT, ultimate responsibility lies with us. A snake, especially one of that size, shouldn't "happen to go missing". :)

D80
 
Oh, I couldn't agree more that keepers with very large snakes should take extra precautions, but I was serious about my question. What SHOULD one do if their RTB or Burm goes missing? Aside from the obvious of checking the house and the obvious places, but what if he gets out and you can't find him? Call all your herp friends to come with nets? I mean, you're risking what just happened with this poor snake, but what are the protocols?
 
LBoz said:
Oh, I couldn't agree more that keepers with very large snakes should take extra precautions, but I was serious about my question. What SHOULD one do if their RTB or Burm goes missing? Aside from the obvious of checking the house and the obvious places, but what if he gets out and you can't find him? Call all your herp friends to come with nets? I mean, you're risking what just happened with this poor snake, but what are the protocols?
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That is a very good question, I will say though my boas are in a boid proof room if they get out, they are in the room. Its the little ones that if they get out, they are gone.
But honestly, not to many people are going to call the police if their large snake is missing. I am not sure on the laws of this city but large snakes like this could be by permit only and not everyone has a permit.

Brent is right, the true blame is on the monkey who had this snake and let it get away. This is third story I have seen an escape boa found in Northern Climates in the last month.
Here is one found locally near me. This one had a happy ending.
http://kstp.com/article/stories/s536881.shtml?cat=1

Is it my imagination or are we seeing more stories of this kind?
 
I hate people too... That poor snake did nothing wrong except be bought by a unresponsible person... Like it had a choice... Then the poor little thing made the mistake of catching the eye of a person that obviously doesn't care about animals... I feel bad when I hit a bunny in the road I could never run something over numerous times... And like others said the snake was probably injured very badly and the state trooper probably did it a favor (unintentionally) and put it out of it's misery... Poor little thing... :(
 
"Is it my imagination or are we seeing more stories of this kind?"

Oh, yeah you are. From what I've seen on TV, they've even got a special squad of folks in Florida that go around picking up the large snakes in people's pools, etc (Animal Planet).

I completely agree that it is the people who own these beasties responsibility. They are the ones that caused this tragedy. I can't imagine what your every day state trooper would do if he ran into one of these... probably what this one did. They are not trained in these situations and, while it is the responsibility of pet owners to know all they can about these snakes, it is NOT the responsibilty of law enforcement to learn about them. Can you imagine? Less cops on the street protecting us from violent criminals or drunk drivers so they can attend a seminar on large constricting snakes? Please... They're stretched enough as it is.

IF, I or one of us snake-lovers were there, I'm sure we would have interceded and tried to find a way to save the snake's life... but unfortunately for this one, none of us were.

I'm not trying to step on anyone's toes, but I know many law enforcement officers and they are not the idiots that others have called them. Some are quite definitely, HEROES. How easy it is for us to call those out there protecting us idiots...

Well, enough of that soap box! LOL.

Fred
 
Thanks Fred, I didn't think of it that way and I should.
The posing with the snake afterwards however tells me that this particular policeman thought differently, I think he may have felt his inner B'wana.
 
alan said:
Thanks Fred, I didn't think of it that way and I should.
The posing with the snake afterwards however tells me that this particular policeman thought differently, I think he may have felt his inner B'wana.
Click to expand...
You're right, Alan... I didn't like the "posed" shot either... and if I had his number, I'd tell him! LOL.

I should have mentioned, I don't condone what they did... and I think they should have thought of something else. But I also wasn't in their shoes at the time.

Sure was a pretty snake, too! Wish I could have been there for it.

Fred
 
Well I blame the guy who let his snake get out..but I also hold a strong ill taste for the guy that ran it over consistantly and even more so for the officer that shot it...That snake is not even that big..I mean I would understand the fear if it was like an anaconda or something..but that is a small house pet RTB...now the heck is that thing going to pose a danger to kids or pets?? A common house cat could probably kill it..They made it sound much worse then it really was...But that's just my thought..
 
ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG. That is about 10 miles from where I live. I can't BELIEVE how disgusting people are when it comes to snakes. I apologize for the ignorance of people up here when it comes to snakes. Please don't think ALL of us up here are that heartless and ignorant when it comes to reptiles.
 
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