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White snake guards white powder

Snakes Incorporated

Snakes Incorporated

Unusual but effective
White snake guards white powder
August 12, 2010 Edition 1
ROME: Italian police here yesterday seized a rare albino python in a raid on a group of drug traffickers who used the snake to guard cocaine and intimidate customers who owed them money.
The three-metre long reptile attacked police when they burst into the dealers' flat, where they were preparing the cocaine for distribution. The specialist forest police had to be called in to capture the python.
http://www.capetimes.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=5598313


In the news article the snake was curled up on top of the drugs when police raided the house. They then got the Forestry department to come remove the animal because they believed that the snake was doing what it was trained to do by attacking anyone who tried to interfere with the drugs.
What are these guys on?
 
Its disgusting how people bring innocent animals into situations like these. Do you know what they did the the snake?
 
The other article I saw said that the snake calmed down after they fed it...I think most likely if it's being fed they didn't just off it.
 
nope, you can however rely on the fact that it's a predator... and if you starve him, he'll want to eat.
 
Snakes do not attack but defend themselves. Snakes tolerate certain human behaviors and actions but “training” is out of the question.
Depending on the species a snake generally does not become aggressive if hungry.
 
I agree, SnakesIncoporated, they probably starved it to make it more aggressive. At least, that's the only way I can think of other than using it as a shock and awe tactic. Not really a good guard for anything.

I hate people like that.
 
Yeah, I expect they trusted the general fear of snakes. If I didn't know snakes like I do, I would be scared of a 3 meter snake. Especially if I came across it unexpectedly.
 
Snakes Incorporated said:
Snakes do not attack but defend themselves. Snakes tolerate certain human behaviors and actions but “training” is out of the question.
Depending on the species a snake generally does not become aggressive if hungry.
Click to expand...

Sorry, have to disagree. Large Constrictors, when very hungry, are much more prone to be irritable and aggressive- just like any other animal, snakes are not exampt. Any starving animal will be more irritable.
 
Aren't some large constrictors "cage aggressive"? So if the constrictor thinks that on top of the white powder is his "cage" and he displays "cage aggression" anyway, wouldn't he be aggressive?

Seems to me if you had a large, impressive, cage aggressive constrictor and then made the area on top of the white powder his "territory" by always housing him there you might be able to achieve the effect. You'd have to know more about the big constrictors than I do, which is likely to be more than drug dealers would, though.

Just a theory. I know I don't know enough.
 
A snake defends itself if it feels threatened. It is not territorial in any way. Snakes that are under fed are sluggish and underperform if disturbed due to the lack of energy etc.
 
Snakes Incorporated said:
A snake defends itself if it feels threatened. It is not territorial in any way. Snakes that are under fed are sluggish and underperform if disturbed due to the lack of energy etc.
Click to expand...

periodically denying food from a snake doesn't mean it is being starved- only that it's meal is overdue. You know as well as I that it takes quite a while for a snake to really be affected by it.

From personal experience- hungry snakes are more likely to display a feeding response towards things such as hands, especially if they are not used to being handled. You can call it being defensive if you wish... but again, they are more likely to react more violently when they are agitated due to hunger.

I don't really understand what's the basis for the belief that snakes are unaffected by something which pretty much affects the entire animal kingdom as far as I know
 
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