[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

The snake was a family pet, not one of a fast-growing population of nonnative pythons that has been spreading in the wild in southern Florida.

Thank God for that. Oxford, a few miles west of The Villages retirement community is in North Central Florida, about a dozen miles from me. Glad they haven't slithered up this way yet!

[cyn]

I second that! Here’s another ill-chosen PET KILLS owner story:

http://www.anapsid.org/nyburm.html

According to the New York Times, 19-year old Grant Williams of 365 East 183rd Street Bronx died as the result of an attack by his 13 foot long Burmese Python which may have mistaken him as food.