That has to be horrifying.
Posted on 01/22/2021 11:44:57 PM PST by nickcarraway
She called for her dog several times on Monday (Jan 18), but when the Pomeranian failed to respond, a woman called her husband to see if he had brought their dog, Mia, to the office. When he said no, the 39-year-old Australian national felt a sinking feeling in her stomach.
She stepped out of her apartment in Eleven@Holland and circled around the back of the complex when she came across a blood-chilling sight — a three-metre-long python wrapped around Mia, swallowing the dog's head.
In an interview with Lianhe Wanbao, the woman said she was so shocked by what she saw that she wasn't able to move for five minutes.
After she recollected herself, she ran to call for help from the estate's security guards and authorities, as well as her friends who lived nearby.
The Animals Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) was called in for assistance afterwards. As the python had gotten itself stuck in a hole, leaving only a third of itself visible, it took three rescuers two and a half hours before they were able to dig it out, Acres told AsiaOne.
The dog's sudden death left her owners at a complete loss. The couple had had Mia for seven years — she joined their family while they were still living in Australia.
When they moved to Singapore two months ago, they hadn't expected such a tragedy to befall upon them.
Their two-year-old daughter, whose best friend and companion had been Mia, doesn't know of the dog's fate yet. Unwilling to break the toddler's heart, the couple told her that the dog returned to their old home for a "holiday".
Dog's incessant barking might have been warnings According to the woman, prior to Mia's death, the dog would regularly stand on their apartment's balcony and bark in the direction of the estate's swimming pool.
She believed Mia might have noticed that there was a python hidden in the space behind the pool.
While she doesn't know how or why Mia ran out that day, the woman believed her dog had tried to chase the python away but unfortunately lost her life doing so.
Other animals, both pets and strays, have fallen victim to hungry pythons.
In 2018, horrified passers-by watched as a large python attempted to swallow a stray cat. Although it eventually abandoned its meal, the cat was already dead.
Another two snakes were rescued in 2018 and 2019. Both had swollen bellies, which authorities believed were due to them having fed on stray cats.
Just last year, another python was spotted with its jaws clamped around the head of a cat.
Kalai Varnan, the co-CEO of Acres, told Stomp in 2019: "Pythons have adapted well to urban areas and mostly feed on rats. However, when the opportunity rises, they do go for cats who frequent drains."
He also told AsiaOne that while reticulated pythons can be found islandwide, they're generally shy creatures. Should members of the public come across one, they should call the Animal Response Centre at 1800-476-1600 or the Acres Wildlife Rescue Centre at 9783 7782.
That has to be horrifying.
Know the risks of the countries you’re visiting or living.
Poor dog.
That’s a big animal.
Anything <10 lbs is on the menu for that critter, prolly bigger too.
He also told AsiaOne that while reticulated pythons can be found islandwide, they’re generally shy creatures.
—
Mostly peaceful.
The Animals Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) was called in for assistance afterwards.
If the dog was to have any chance of survival the woman needed to act immediately.
She needed to get a knife and stab the snake behind the head, severing the spine.
If the dog was not then released she needed to cut off the snakes lower jaw.
Waiting for the authorities to arrive guaranteed the dog’s death.
What the legal repercussions to these actions would be, I have no idea.
>> “She needed to get a knife and stab the snake behind the head, severing the spine.” <<
Yeah, that’s what I would have done. I imagine she was afraid, and if the python was 5 meters instead of 3, I might be too (I’m be nervous, anyway). Having partially swallowed the dog, it was vulnerable, though. One blow as you say with a knife might kill it. If a knife wasn’t quickly available, I might try a stick, gouging it in the eyes, and hitting its head or neck (if that could be done without hitting the dog’s head). What if that had been a young child? I wonder if she would have stood there then too.
Anyone know if a snake with its mouth fully open and swallowing can quickly release its prey to defend itself? Of course, even if its head is stuck on the prey, you’d have to watch out for it if it tried to switch its coils from the prey to you, but I think with a knife, it could be killed.
“I’m be nervous, anyway” should be “I’d be nervous, anyway”. Actually, more than nervous, I’d probably be afraid of a 3-meter one, even if it was occupied swallowing my dog. If I could get ahold of a knife or substantial stick, though, I’d do something.
The dog was dead (sufffocated) when the python began to swallow it.
I've owned a python for 27 years. He strikes, coils, suffocates (kills), then swallows. No unswallowed mouse ever revives.
If we only could get them to eat DemonRats.
For a reticulated python, that one wasn’t especially large. Wikipedia:
“The reticulated python is the largest snake native to Asia. More than a thousand wild reticulated pythons in southern Sumatra were studied, and estimated to have a length range of 1.5 to 6.5 m (4.9 to 21.3 ft)...”
Not that I’m planning on being around large constrictors, but I’ve been checking the net for suggestions if attacked by one. Here’s some advice from https://www.thailandsnakes.com/how-survive-python-attack/
“How To Survive a Big Python Bite and Full-on Attack
1. Python bites you.
2. Pull out a knife as fast as possible. The knife should have a lanyard to wrap around your wrist so you can do #3.
3. Keep the python from wrapping around you at all costs.
4. When possible – stab the snake in the side or belly repeatedly and many different places. Don’t stop. Stop when the snake lets go and you can run away as fast as you can.
5. Hope the snake lets go.”
That advice didn’t impress me much. Seems to me it would be almost impossible to keep a large one from wrapping around part of you, but maybe one arm would be free. More advice was added later, though. It was suggested that a small saw might work best. Sawing behind the head would kill it almost immediately, and sawing other parts might discourage it or weaken that part. A pistol might come in handy too, if you can shoot it without hitting yourself. (Of course, you have to hope a large one doesn’t manage to wrap around both arms immediately, else you might have no chance to use any of the suggestions.)
Best just to stay away from them.
It didn't have to shake hands and introduce itself to eat her dog.
Lunch.
Shy?
I guess whoever wrote that thang said being satiated is shy.
I have it on good authority from an old friend and biology major that when big snakes are hungry their prey cannot get out of the way fast enough, and that includes humans. Apparently they can fling themselves on their prey quicker than you can blink your eye. And then... he showed me his snake lecture and vids.
So much for the slow moving, shy theory.
If the snake was “swallowing” the dog the dog was dead.
Actually snakes don’t swallow they crawl over their prey.
All those decades of anthropomorphic animal cartoons have made a lot of writers very silly.
Folks, nature is where everything eats everything else.
That’s like the little dog that would harass the crocodiles. Until one day he got a little too close. Fluffy disappeared under the water never to seen again.
He said if his guide had not directly shot the snake in the head, he would still be up there...
It sounded real.
Women do not generally have it in them to charge huge snakes.
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