12ft (3.7m) python kills toddler

[Colin1]

Never classed these things as pets.
Some weird contradictions in there eg

"Most (of) the time, as long as you're careful, you don't have anything to worry about, but occasionally, they can turn on their owners,"

umm, so if it only tries to kill you 1 time out of every 100 times you handle it?

12ft long, 'like having a truck sitting on your chest', unpredictable, particularly dangerous around kids - kind of speaks for itself for me.

12-Foot Python Strangles Toddler - Orlando News Story - WKMG Orlando

 

[diddyriddick]

Too bad there isn't a law against being stoopid!

 

[syscom3]

I thought the same thing.

Things never to keep near a child:
Loaded weapons
Poison
Dangerous animals.

 

[ellis995]

Bang on the button with your response syscom3 couldn't agree more

 

[Doughboy]

This just shows the stupidity of the parents... to have such a dangerous snake in the house... with a toddler!
I think it should be illegal to have such a dangerous animal in your house.

 

[diddyriddick]

The worst part is that people don't realize how they kill. They don't just squeeze to death. They wrap up and wait for you to exhale, then constrict so you can't inhale. Scary.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

I am an owner of snakes (okay at the moment I only own one, but I used to own several including a 10 ft Burmese).

1. Just because you have a snake in the house does not make you stupid. I am not stupid...

2. You have to take precautions, such as proper locks on the enclosures or doors that a snake can not open such as sliding doors.

3. Never let a child who can not handle a snake get near such a snake. Only small snakes should be handled by children (i.e. corn snakes, garter snakes, etc...)

4. Learn the way it behaves and you will be fine.

5. Take precautions as they said, and you will be fine.

I for one have owned snakes for almost 15 years (including a 10 footer as I stated above). I have never been attacked, never been bitten, never had a guest in my house bitten or attacked.

So please don't judge people that have snakes (even those with children) as stupid. Me and my wife are having children next year and we will not get rid our snake, in fact we are getting more snakes. A room in our house will dedicated to having as many as 20 different snakes in separate enclosures.

Guess what? Me and my wife are not stupid!

Now having said that, I feel sorry for what happened to this girl and family. It is a tragedy. This was probably avoidable with the precautions I said above. I also believe the snake was not held in a proper enclosure and not kept humanely (just my guess, it is a bit hard to keep a 12 foot snake in a humane enclosure, unless you have a bit of money). More than likely the snake was not fed properly either, which could explain why it went after the young girl.

Snakes are very misunderstood creatures. They are not evil, they are not out to attack humans or hurt them.

Here is a pic of my beautiful Ball Python that I have the moment. My wife used to be scared of snakes until we got her. Now she can take her out and feed her and everything. She too believes they are beautiful creatures now.

The worst part is that people don't realize how they kill. They don't just squeeze to death. They wrap up and wait for you to exhale, then constrict so you can't inhale. Scary.

No they don't! They crush you, they do not wait for you to exhale and strangle you. They crush you, and normally the prey is dead in less than a minute!

 

[gumbyk]

The Humane Society of the United States said including Wednesday's death, at least 12 people have been killed in the United States by pet pythons since 1980, including five children.

By my calculations, that makes one death every 2.5 years.

How many kids are killed by pet dogs each years in the US?

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

By my calculations, that makes one death every 2.5 years.

How many kids are killed by pet dogs each years in the US?

Good post!

The most recent official survey, conducted more than a decade ago, determined there were 4.7 million dog bite victims annually in the USA. A more recent study showed that 1,000 Americans per day are treated in emergency rooms as a result of dog bites. In 2007 there were 33 fatal dog attacks in the USA. Most of the victims who receive medical attention are children, half of whom are bitten in the face. Dog bite losses exceed $1 billion per year, with over $300 million paid by homeowners insurance."

I am in no way against dogs by the way. I love dogs, and can't wait to have a few again. I have not had a dog in 15 years, because I refuse to have another one until my house is built.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Edit to my other post!


I will also stand correct to my other post. They do not crush, they do constrict by stopping the animal from breathing. It is not a scary thing however, and the prey is still dead very quickly. I have never waited for more than a minute for the prey to be killed. I do have to watch, because if it does get out of hand, the snake could be hurt or the prey could be hurt and not killed.

(I had to check with my wife the biologist... and also think back to the feedings of the my snake including the two she ate yesterday.)

 

[Colin1]

Good post!

The most recent official survey, conducted more than a decade ago, determined there were 4.7 million dog bite victims annually in the USA

Oh! Well that's alright then!
Alright for everybody except the families, friends and loved ones of the 2.5 people who've been killed every year since 1980. The difference between a 'pet' and a '12ft snake' is that you don't have to ensure special locks and enclosures for a 'pet' in case it gets out and kills your kids while you're sleeping.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Oh! Well that's alright then!
Alright for everybody except the families, friends and loved ones of the 2.5 people who've been killed every year since 1980. The difference between a 'pet' and a '12ft snake' is that you don't have to ensure special locks and enclosures for a 'pet' in case it gets out and kills your kids while you're sleeping.

So no special precautions need to be taken with dogs or other pets? That sounds very irresponsible to me!

Do you really think that snakes are the only pets that have harmed people? 4.7 million Americans are harmed by dogs? Should we stop having dogs as pets????

You make it sound like that is what snake do, like they are evil beings that only want to hurt people and children. My 10 footer got out before (because I did not have it in a proper enclosure), you know what it did. It curled up around the heater in my room, never threatened me once. The next day though, I had a proper enclosure.

Just because someone owns a snake, does not make them stupid. Just because a snake kills someone does not make it wrong to have them as a pet!

 

[Colin1]

So no special precautions need to be taken with dogs or other pets? That sounds very irresponsible to me!

Ideally? No, none at all
I can't see why it could be construed as irresponsible, I played football with our dogs, wrestled with our dogs, playing wargames and took our dogs prisoner and invariably ended up sleeping in a big heap with our dogs, none of them ever tried to harm me.
If parents think that dogs bred for fighting make suitable pets esp around children, that's what sounds irresponsible to me.

It's a fine line, it's difficult telling people what they can and can't keep but it's obvious (to me at least) that when a 12ft python's hungry, it's not going to sit up on its back legs and wag its tail, it's going to slip out and forage for something suitable, instinctively at night when it can mostly avoid detection.

 

[Dark Matter]

Snakes do what snakes do, either the snake was being bothered or it was hungry.
And some people dont think about it bucuase they dont realize that could happen.
And I dont blame the snake, what it did is what it would do in the wild.
I blame the owner.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Ideally? No, none at all
I can't see why it could be construed as irresponsible, I played football with our dogs, wrestled with our dogs, playing wargames and took our dogs prisoner and invariably ended up sleeping in a big heap with our dogs, none of them ever tried to harm me.
If parents think that dogs bred for fighting make suitable pets esp around children, that's what sounds irresponsible to me.

It's a fine line, it's difficult telling people what they can and can't keep but it's obvious (to me at least) that when a 12ft python's hungry, it's not going to sit up on its back legs and wag its tail, it's going to slip out and forage for something suitable, instinctively at night when it can mostly avoid detection.

As for the first part, not all dog attacks are caused by "fighting dogs". Fighting dogs make up for only 50% of all dog attacks, so the other 50% come from normal average every day dogs. The point I am trying to make is this:

1. All pets, all animals can bite.

2. Snakes are no different. They are not evil animals that are going to attack people.

3. If you keep the snake properly it will not get out, during the day, during the night, when it is hungry and when it is not hungry.

4. Snakes do not hunt out humans to kill them.

5. People that have snakes are not stupid.

6. People that have children and have snakes are not stupid.

If so, then call me stupid right now...

I blame the owner.

I agree, as I stated he was probably not keeping it properly. I would even bet the enclosure was too small, without the proper substrate and was not fed properly.

 

[Colin1]

If so, then call me stupid right now...

That's the second time you've made that claim
read back through the thread and show me where I called you stupid

This is solely my opinion of what constitutes a pet, I've got no intention of calling you (or anyone else) stupid

 

[Dark Matter]

Its perfectly okay to have a normal sized snake with a child, but a toddler and a 10+ ft long snake?!?

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

That's the second time you've made that claim
read back through the thread and show me where I called you stupid

This is solely my opinion of what constitutes a pet, I've got no intention of calling you (or anyone else) stupid

I did not say you were calling me stupid. I am saying that based off what other people have written. Not you per say...

You have your opinion. I have mine, and that is that snakes make wonderful pets, and are no more dangerous than any other pet.

Its perfectly okay to have a normal sized snake with a child, but a toddler and a 10+ ft long snake?!?

There is no problem with that either, as long as precautions are taken.

For instance in the house that me and my wife wish to build, I have a separate room that is the "snake room". All the terrariums are built round the walls, and the door is locked with the key to the room in a safe place. Whenever I want to spend time with my snakes I have to into that room. If my child wants to see the snakes, my child will have be supervised by me. The Green Tree Boa that I wish to aquire will not be in the room because it will be next to a reading couch in a loft (we want to have tree frogs or an iguana on the other side of the couch), but the terrarium will have a lock on it and the doors will be sliding doors because the snake can not get out of those.

You take certain precautions and they are wonderful animals to have. Like I said in the last 15 years I have never been bitten by any of my snakes. I have owned 2 Ball Pythons (I have one of them now), the first was 3 feet long and the one I have now is 4.5 feet long, a Red Tailed Colombian Boa Constrictor which was 6 feet long and a Burmese Python that was 10 feet long. The only reason I no longer have the other 3 snakes is because the military would not let me bring them to Germany.

 

[Colin1]

And I dont blame the snake, what it did is what it would do in the wild

You don't see the irony in that?
Pet? What it would do in the wild?
They belong in the wild.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

They belong in the wild.

Why? Explain please. Birds belong in the wild, lizards belong in the wild and fish belong in the wild.

Snakes harm less people than dogs or cats...

Should we banish all dogs and cats to the wild?