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Breaking News....Burmese Kills 2y/o....
- Thread starter Cflaguy
- Start date
strawberry_bunny
meep
I'm afraid to say that I feel pretty much the same way, though I have yet to read the comments on the site, mainly because I get so mad at the general stupidity of people. I hate people, I like individuals, hate people
Ricky87
New member
I know it's frustrating that this case has the potential to affect who can own what, but to say "I do not care about the little girl that was killed." is a bit cruel. Children are curious, so are snakes, and it is entirely up to the owner who has both to keep them safe. This was a real person, and whether their death directly affects us, or not, it's still sad. Something like this could have happened to anyone of us on the CS forums with a snake that big, and though the girls parents may not have been as educated as they should have been, it's still terrible. I know a lot of us on this site think we take every precaution in the book to protect themselves and their family from an incident like this, but when your dealing with a Burmese Python, or any large snake for that matter, you just never know!.
RavenSpirit360
Mitakuye Oyasin
I know many people who own and breed snakes that are far from being trailer trash.. PLease.. People are so ignorant and uneducated and should never even open their mouths.. This whole situation saddens me. I feel bad for the kid, and I am sure the parents are hating themselves right now for not being extra careful. And I hate anything that happens with human animal interaction that will make people hate animals even more..
Wade don't lie, I saw you at the trailer park
JK You know I luv ya...!
Cflaguy
Old School Snakeman
Permit systems....
Even with permits it's not a perfect science. There are far to few FWC LEO in the state. In the Ocala National Forest officers were killed on a pretty regular basis as they stumbled upon pot fields. Due to one officer per every 100 miles. I had venomous snakes for over twenty years and never saw the first LEO. They were to check once a year. I don't think there was a grandfathering in this case with the exception of microchipping but I'll have to check on that.
Even with permits it's not a perfect science. There are far to few FWC LEO in the state. In the Ocala National Forest officers were killed on a pretty regular basis as they stumbled upon pot fields. Due to one officer per every 100 miles. I had venomous snakes for over twenty years and never saw the first LEO. They were to check once a year. I don't think there was a grandfathering in this case with the exception of microchipping but I'll have to check on that.
wade
Save The Humans
Here is a more recent story, although it really doesn't give much more info. There is a pic of the snake, I can't believe it's 12' long unless the cops are pigmies. I wish someone would explain how the snake got out.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6620394.ece
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6620394.ece
Attachments
RavenSpirit360
Mitakuye Oyasin
THat snake is not as big as I was thinking it would be.... I wish they would say how it got out too
Cflaguy
Old School Snakeman
Well....
It is a tragedy. I have a two y/o and don't want to think about losing her in anyway. I made a decision to longer have hot snakes for this reason.
But.... I to am guilty of quickly thinking how it will effect herpers. I don't keep the big snakes (I think if you want to you should be able to don't get me wrong) but there is a slope now in this state and it is beginning to scare me. The city of Edgewater is poised to ban reptiles as pets. The mentioned permit system currently in place for big snakes and lizards. Venomous permits went from $5 a year to $100 and 1000 hours of experience. Today's incident. Did anybody notice there were two more snake stories on the second link I posted; one a python on the loose? And of course judging by responses under the stories I'm afraid things will get worse.
BTW, that snake is not 12ft. long, I'm guessing 8 or 9 tops.
It is a tragedy. I have a two y/o and don't want to think about losing her in anyway. I made a decision to longer have hot snakes for this reason.
But.... I to am guilty of quickly thinking how it will effect herpers. I don't keep the big snakes (I think if you want to you should be able to don't get me wrong) but there is a slope now in this state and it is beginning to scare me. The city of Edgewater is poised to ban reptiles as pets. The mentioned permit system currently in place for big snakes and lizards. Venomous permits went from $5 a year to $100 and 1000 hours of experience. Today's incident. Did anybody notice there were two more snake stories on the second link I posted; one a python on the loose? And of course judging by responses under the stories I'm afraid things will get worse.
BTW, that snake is not 12ft. long, I'm guessing 8 or 9 tops.
wade
Save The Humans
Like most people on this forum, I have a lot of snakes. Mine are in my home. As careful as I may be, one gets out from time to time. We always find them and it’s no big deal. But then, I don’t have any snakes that might do harm to myself or my family. Wouldn’t you think that if you had a snake that could kill someone in your home you would go to incredible lengths to prevent escape? I just can’t come to terms with that. I can’t imagine being the neglectful.
RavenSpirit360
Mitakuye Oyasin
You know, thats always a possibility and you never know anymore..
RavenSpirit360
Mitakuye Oyasin
Can a snake that size kill a 2 year old? THere is no way it could eat a 2 year old.. WOuld it kill something it cannot eat? Something is just off..
danielle
New member
Sure it could choke it, but snakes don't kill for fun- they constrict to subdue prey they plan on eating. They could have strangled the kid, got the snake to bite her forehead, and slashed the snake to make it look like they were trying to save her. Maybe the bf did it and the mom is unaware...or maybe she was in on it. How did he know to go into the girls room- usually us moms do that when we hear something or are peeking in before bed; but not the bf.
RavenSpirit360
Mitakuye Oyasin
Ok I believe it could kill her, but why.. It just seems too off to me.. I agree Wade, something seems off or fishy about this story. I really do hope they look into it more.. Sounds like they maybe modeled this story after the one that happened out here.. Its so similar. I want to know where the pythons glass tank was located, how far from the childs bedroom. And this python supposedly escaped the tank and slithered to the childs room and then slithered up into the childs crib and strangled her.. Man, I don't think thats what happened. I'm sorry but its just too simple.. What do you guys think?
kathylove
Pragmatic & Logical
"...Are sure the parents didn't kill her and blame the snake? A little suspicious to me."
That was actually my first thought, even BEFORE I saw the size of the snake. One of the articles I read said that police had been called there previously for domestic violence. If things got too rough, and the toddler accidentally died, they could have tried to stage something to get themselves off the hook. Now that I see the "12 foot" snake, I am more suspicious. Of course, that size snake COULD HAVE killed a toddler, and even MIGHT HAVE, if the child tried to grab it and it got scared, bit her, and a feeding response ensued. But if the child was sleeping, that snake probably would not have seen a 2 year old as a meal, and it is doubtful that it would have attacked. But anything is possible. I am sure they will do an autopsy to find out what really happened.
BTW, many years ago, I had a REAL 12 - 13' Burmese grab my 6 month old cat, in a real feeding response (it had already eaten a rabbit and was looking for more). I was standing there and saw it happen. I was able to unwind it one loop at a time until I freed the cat (which did survive). I certainly did not need a knife (which would have meant leaving the cat, wasting precious moments) to accomplish it. And my python was at least twice as heavy as the one in the photo.
Presumably, the man stabbed the snake because he thought the child might still be alive. So why would he go look for a knife when the snake was not all that big, and the child might die while he got the knife? Sounds a little strange to me. At first, I thought maybe the snake was so big that the man couldn't cope with it. But that snake is just not that big for a full grown adult to deal with.
That was actually my first thought, even BEFORE I saw the size of the snake. One of the articles I read said that police had been called there previously for domestic violence. If things got too rough, and the toddler accidentally died, they could have tried to stage something to get themselves off the hook. Now that I see the "12 foot" snake, I am more suspicious. Of course, that size snake COULD HAVE killed a toddler, and even MIGHT HAVE, if the child tried to grab it and it got scared, bit her, and a feeding response ensued. But if the child was sleeping, that snake probably would not have seen a 2 year old as a meal, and it is doubtful that it would have attacked. But anything is possible. I am sure they will do an autopsy to find out what really happened.
BTW, many years ago, I had a REAL 12 - 13' Burmese grab my 6 month old cat, in a real feeding response (it had already eaten a rabbit and was looking for more). I was standing there and saw it happen. I was able to unwind it one loop at a time until I freed the cat (which did survive). I certainly did not need a knife (which would have meant leaving the cat, wasting precious moments) to accomplish it. And my python was at least twice as heavy as the one in the photo.
Presumably, the man stabbed the snake because he thought the child might still be alive. So why would he go look for a knife when the snake was not all that big, and the child might die while he got the knife? Sounds a little strange to me. At first, I thought maybe the snake was so big that the man couldn't cope with it. But that snake is just not that big for a full grown adult to deal with.
Hypancistrus
New member
We have a male BCI, Carlos, who is 6' or slightly longer. He is fully grown. In spite of the fact that the "rule" is that snakes 8' or longer require two people to handle, our household rule is that anything 6' or longer requires two people. When we purchased our cages, locks were a mandated necessity. I feel that it is my responsibility as a herp keeper to keep my charges where they should be. Even a 4' kingsnake on the lam can end up in a neighbors house and scare them, causing an incident. It is irresponsible to not do EVERYTHING in your power to protect your snakes from escape. Their lives depend on it and the future of our hobby depends on it.
If your snake happens to be long enough to inflict deadly harm on anyone or any pets, like dogs, cats, etc, then your responsibility doubles... becoming something akin to having a firearm in your home. That is how we see Carlos, and that is how we have explained Carlos to visitors and to my sister, who lives with us many weekends.
There is a picture somewhere around here of the first time I held Carlos, on my 2nd date with Tara. He wrapped around my forearm and elbow, and once Tara snapped the picture, I could not free him from my arm without assistance. Large bodied snakes can exert an INCREDIBLE amount of pressure, just by moving. If he feels he is going to fall, his grip tightens to the point that it will feel tighter than a blood pressure cuff. Even a 6' boa could kill an infant or small child.
I agree that the snake in that photo doesn't look longer than 8 or 9', but it is capable of killing a child... I don't really think a well fed snake would, however, and I especially don't see a snake going out of its way to attack a child in her bed... while she was asleep???? I had thought that the snake was out and about in the house and the little girl walked up on it, thus initiating a strike or feeding response... who knows.
This will all fall back onto the herp trade as a whole, just like gun crimes fall back on gun owners as a whole. That's a real shame.