... as you posted on other thread.
um, do I hear a "Go Gators"?
Posted on 07/01/2009 10:45:06 AM PDT by cyn
OXFORD, Fla. -- A two-year-old girl was strangled by a python at her family's home in Oxford.
It is unknown whether the snake was a pet and how the child came in contact with the animal.
Pythons can kill by wrapping themselves around a human.
Whit Gibbons, a professor of ecology at the University of Georgia, told the Associated Press that "A human is just another prey item to a python -- especially a small human.
"A 20-foot python, if it grabbed one of us, would bite us and then within just, instantly, seconds, it would be wrapped all the way around you and squeezing the life out of you," Gibbons said.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission have responded to the scene and are investigating the child's death.
Oxford is northwest of Leesburg.
from the article:
“.. One killed an alligator and then exploded when it tried to eat it...”
http://home.att.net/~crinaustin/Snake1.htm good for listing previous python related deaths in US. The photos in it are noted as being staged.
Also http://home.att.net/~crinaustin/Snake2.htm
... as you posted on other thread.
um, do I hear a "Go Gators"?
Yeah! see #43.
Acc to link from Ch 13 news — http://www.cfnews13.com/News/Sidebar/2009/7/1/burmese_python_facts.html
Handling: ... If your python wraps itself around you, unwind it starting at the tail. As your snake grows, it is recommended that you have at least one other person present when handling or feeding these strong snakes (once over 8 feet long, you should always have a second person available to help with handling, and in fact it is a good idea to have a person present for for each 4 feet of snake (so 3 people to handle a 12 foot snake and 4 people for a 16 foot snake).
Source: National Geographic
Ball pythons, which are very docile and typically max out at 5-6', make excellent pets.
But anyone who would keep a large python (i.e. Burmese or reticulated) as a pet is just crazy. If these people had such a pet -- especially if it was 20' long (which I seriously doubt) -- they should be charged with negligent homicide.
Good point.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/AP/story/1122836.html
The Humane Society of the United States said including Wednesday’s death, at least 12 people have been killed in the U.S. by pet pythons since 1980, including five children.
How does that compare to pit bull stats, does anyone know?
Well they don't have to worry about the baby part now.
Here’s a partial answer:
http://www.dogbitelaw.com/PAGES/statistics.html
The number of fatalities: In 2007, there were 33 fatal dog maulings in the USA.
Goes on to provide more numbers & links; not yet come across nos for pit bulls only.
http://www.dogbitelaw.com/breeds-causing-DBRFs.pdf >> Table 1 breaks down dog breeds; acc to it, pit bulls were responsible for 66 deaths from 1979 to 1999 (mixed breed pit types added another 10+).
I’m looking for similar information about python or reptile-related deaths in US. I’m sure it must exist, but am not finding it from a reliable source yet.
“It is unknown whether the snake was a pet and how the child came in contact with the animal.”
I would think the reporter would have gathered these answers before writing the article.
got a better one. our county GOP chair has a buddy who kept several under the front seat of his pickup.
shoot, that’s nothing. DC’s literally crawling with ‘em, saw that yet again last Friday, and it’s getting worse!
A news report said that the snake was owned by the “mother’s boyfriend” ... I hope she is enjoying her romantic life.
Yeah, I’ve wanted a snake that’s around 4-6’ for a pet for a while, but my lease doesn’t allow anything more than a 10-gallon fishtank although my landlord clarified that means anything that’s not furry that usually lives in terrariums/aquariums. Unfortunately, my roommates have also expressly forbidden a tarantula (it wouldn’t have any fur and would live quite comfortably in such a tank) cause they’re quite arachnophobic =( and I don’t want to push the rules.
Friend of mine who grew up in Fl. swore the following was true: He and his buddies would get an old suitcase from a goodwill store, fill it with as many water snakes (agressive, but basically harmless) as they could catch and drop it alongside the road in black neighborhoods (racism maybe). Sooner or later a car would stop and the suitcase would be grabbed only to see the car weaving all over the road in a block or two when the suitcase was opened and the snakes went after everyone in the car.
Ping
Ball Pythons make really excellent pets. They are beautifully marked, move very slowly, and are really mellow to handle.
We got ours from a breeder four years ago, when the snake was 1 year old (the breeder kept meticulous records on birth and feeding).
Ours is about 4ft long now. Males tend to be smaller than females. But he was a little slip of a thing when we got him, and he did very nicely in a 10-gallon tank for a year and a half.
If you decide to get a ball python, best is to buy from a reputable breeder, rather than a pet store. Lots of good info online regarding the care and feeding of ball pythons. Do a lot of reading up.
Pitiful.
What a heartbreaking and disturbing tragedy.
The only good snake is a dead snake.
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