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Breaking News....Burmese Kills 2y/o....

Something tells me that snake was a little bit underfed. Just a little.

I feel bad for the girl, and her death, but not for the mother and boyfriend. Boyfriend didn't house the snake properly, and mom was more worried about her own "needs" than she was about her daughter.

As for why the toddler didn't scream, the report did say there were bite marks on the forehead. It's possible that the first coils were around her neck, preventing a scream. I do, however, agree that the circumstances are fishy.

This is going to be awful for any snake owners in Florida (myself included). It doesn't matter if you have small, medium or large snakes. Non-venomous or venomous. Something tells me that in the near future, they're going to have to find another location for the National Reptile Breeders Expo (AKA Daytona show).
 
I’d like to say we should be proactive but I don’t really know how. Lauren brought up gun control and it really is the same kind of thing. People fear what they don’t understand or are not familiar with. Everyone here understands that it is not the snake’s fault and that the owner was irresponsible. Unfortunately that is not what is going to sell the news papers. They will paint garter snakes as blood thirsty killers.
 
wade said:
I’d like to say we should be proactive but I don’t really know how. Lauren brought up gun control and it really is the same kind of thing. People fear what they don’t understand or are not familiar with. Everyone here understands that it is not the snake’s fault and that the owner was irresponsible. Unfortunately that is not what is going to sell the news papers. They will paint garter snakes as blood thirsty killers.
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And blind snakes like to enter your veins through a cut.
 
I still am not sold on the snake doing this- not because it couldn't have mind you, but because it seems odd a snake would coil around prey it couldn't eat. If however the snake did kill the girl I don't blame the mom or think she was selfish for dating- that just seems harsh. The boyfriend is the snakes owner and should have known about the proper care needs of the snake- the mom may have been ignorant to the potential as many non snake owners are obviouly from these comments the one thing that stands out is how little people really know about reptiles. To say a single mom is somehow a bad person for dating is cruel and that the death of her child was caused by her seeking a relationship is just as ignorant as the rest of the comments on that site. Of course the media is blowing this out of proportion, but hey they do that with everything and it is sad that this instance may rekindle harsher legislation, but obviously legislation never works anyway. Look at prohibition or really any of our gun laws or laws in general- people choose to do what they will regardless. People will also choose to believe what they will even in the light of better knowledge and sure many non herp lovers will now fear snakes even more, but I don't see this case as something that will cause the ban of snakes- more just another straw weighing heavily on the camels back.
 
Fun fact:
From 1979 through 1996, dog attacks resulted in more than 300 human dog-bite related deaths in the United States. Most of the victims were children.
In 1997 and 1998, at least 27 people died (that's over twice the number killed by pythons in 29 years) as a result of dog bite attacks (18 in 1997, and 9 in 1998). Of these, 19 were young children between zero and 11 years of age, and 8 were older children and adults between 17 and 87 years of age.

It has been estimated that about 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs each year.

It has been estimated that nearly 334,000 dog bite injuries are treated in emergency departments each year.

So when are we going to ban dogs?

danielle said:
I still am not sold on the snake doing this- not because it couldn't have mind you, but because it seems odd a snake would coil around prey it couldn't eat. If however the snake did kill the girl I don't blame the mom or think she was selfish for dating- that just seems harsh. The boyfriend is the snakes owner and should have known about the proper care needs of the snake- the mom may have been ignorant to the potential as many non snake owners are obviouly from these comments the one thing that stands out is how little people really know about reptiles. To say a single mom is somehow a bad person for dating is cruel and that the death of her child was caused by her seeking a relationship is just as ignorant as the rest of the comments on that site. Of course the media is blowing this out of proportion, but hey they do that with everything and it is sad that this instance may rekindle harsher legislation, but obviously legislation never works anyway. Look at prohibition or really any of our gun laws or laws in general- people choose to do what they will regardless. People will also choose to believe what they will even in the light of better knowledge and sure many non herp lovers will now fear snakes even more, but I don't see this case as something that will cause the ban of snakes- more just another straw weighing heavily on the camels back.
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I'm not saying she was cruel for dating, I'm just saying she needs to pay attention to her daughter when she's in a house with a potentially dangerous animal (and yes, that includes dogs).
 
I agree dogs are a bigger threat than snakes anyday, but the public will never be interested in those statistics because dogs are furry and cute- sad but true we are probably the dumbest mammals just because we can rationalize feelings, but yet always do so ignorantly. My daughter is with my mom in Florida now so of course I get her angry phone call today asking why the news keeps calling this snake a killer. She'll be 8 in 3 weeks but is already so in tune with life. She also believes the bf had something more to do with the death and is enraged with the amount of misinformtion being spewed. She asked me if we could always keep our snakes and I said of course but she needed reassurance since everyone down there is talking about how snakes should not be pets. My moms neighbor actually said my daughter see what happened to that little girl do you still want your snakes? Thank god my daughter is all me and replied do you still want to ride your motorcycle and walked away.
 
There was an interesting quip in the Gainesville Sun. The biologist they interviewed was talking about the burm population in the Everglades and said something like "These are escaped pets. They didn't swim over from Myanmar." I thought that was humorous.
 
danielle said:
I agree dogs are a bigger threat than snakes anyday, but the public will never be interested in those statistics because dogs are furry and cute- sad but true we are probably the dumbest mammals just because we can rationalize feelings, but yet always do so ignorantly. My daughter is with my mom in Florida now so of course I get her angry phone call today asking why the news keeps calling this snake a killer. She'll be 8 in 3 weeks but is already so in tune with life. She also believes the bf had something more to do with the death and is enraged with the amount of misinformtion being spewed. She asked me if we could always keep our snakes and I said of course but she needed reassurance since everyone down there is talking about how snakes should not be pets. My moms neighbor actually said my daughter see what happened to that little girl do you still want your snakes? Thank god my daughter is all me and replied do you still want to ride your motorcycle and walked away.
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Give your daughter a high five for me when you see her ;) THats so cool..
 
wade said:
I’d like to say we should be proactive but I don’t really know how.
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IMO the thing to do is to make two different distinctions. The law abiders vs the unlawful keepers, and the dangerous snakes vs the harmless ones. People will understand that gun control analogy I think, and will be in familiar territory when they see that this guy was breaking laws AND was irresponsible.
As for the second distinction, there's more variety in the 'snake' group than in the 'cat' group. Comparing a ball python to an anaconda makes as much sense as comparing a housecat to a tiger.
I think these two points are easier to understand than statistics that people tend to be mistrustful of..
 
Good points Tom. We don’t have big snake laws in Utah. We are not allowed any venomous. I worry they will say Boas and Pythons and not understand Ball Pythons and Rosy Boas don’t belong in that group.

I sure wish they would come out with more information on the whole subject. I still feel like we only know half the story.
 
I agree with any potential laws separating the snake group into multiple categories. Those which are potentially dangerous due to their size - those that are deadly due to their size - those that are venomous - those that are detrimental to existing wildlife if released/escaped - and those that are completely harmless.
I think people should be allowed to own a snake from whichever category they choose pending requirements, but it shouldn't ever cross over to the snakes that are absolutely harmless. It's like you said Tom, it would be like banning house cats due to a tiger attack.
 
Cflaguy said:
My first concern is the death of a 2 y/o girl. Very tragic for all involved.

I just hope there is a good investigation. The snake will get the blame. I just wonder where the parents were?

There is a slippery slope rising in Florida against reptile keeping.
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No, the snake won't get the blame. The owner will. The only thing he was using to "secure" the snake was a blanket and a rope! He'll probably plea guilty to negligent homicide, spend 90 days in jail and get about 5 years of probation, which is probably appropriate given the absence of any intent to cause harm.
 
bossfrog said:
No, the snake won't get the blame. The owner will. The only thing he was using to "secure" the snake was a blanket and a rope! He'll probably plea guilty to negligent homicide, spend 90 days in jail and get about 5 years of probation, which is probably appropriate given the absence of any intent to cause harm.
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well there you have it
 
Only in one respect....

bossfrog said:
No, the snake won't get the blame. The owner will. The only thing he was using to "secure" the snake was a blanket and a rope! He'll probably plea guilty to negligent homicide, spend 90 days in jail and get about 5 years of probation, which is probably appropriate given the absence of any intent to cause harm.
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the local media is all about the snake "slithering" into her room....the kid never stood a chance.... death grip......snake attacked.....humans will be more prey due to the population in Florida.

I will agree with ya to the extent the law itself will catch up with him. Not having a license and the Burmese micro-chipped is a second degree misdemeanor. Likely a fine and 60 days in jail. Anything past that is unclear at this time.

On the local talk shows those of us who keep snakes are idiots and morons. The public has an entirely different perception. Everyday there is a story against snakes......

Just today.....

http://www.baynews9.com/content/36/...moccasin+attacks+two+dogs+in+Manatee+County++
 
That is classic news media for you. Snake attacks dogs, I’ll bet you $100 it was the other way around. She hits “at” it with a machete and it moves off, Mean snake. The dogs are recovering after a visit to the vet. It never said they were bitten.

So what really happened, the lady lets her dogs out, they bark, she saw a snake in her yard and chased it off, goes to the vet and he sends her home.
 

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