[JoeProBono]

So hungry I could eat a...sheep: This python bit off more than it could chew after dining on a pregnant sheep in Malaysia

[Salamander]

Bullet.
Head.

Problem solved.

[CitizenM]

I have a great friend, one who is a wonderful, caring person and loves animals. She has a python. I hate it, but try not to say much, except that it scares me to death. How can I get her to understand it is not a pet and she should get rid of it now before it causes her greif? She got it in January and feeds it live rats. She takes it out of the acquarium, lets it slither around, wraps it around her neck, even sleeps with it! She also has cats, a dog, a hamster, and a turtle that roams around the house. I am so afraid the snake will find one or all of them a great meal someday. Any suggestions that won’t ruin our friendship?

[Prodigal Son]

A boy's best friend: Sambath Uon from Cambodia refuses to go to bed without his 20ft Burmese pet python aptly named Lucky

(this also from the article)

I think this kid is going to get to know his friend Lucky inside and out one day.

[TnGOP]

This is a little off the subject, but here goes:

Does anyone know whatever happened with the planned restoration of the everglades (improving the water supply)? I remember hearing that Gov. Bush was working on a plan that even had the blessings of some environmentalists. I never heard whether it was ever implemented, and if it is working.

Any freepers in Fla have an update?

[Sherman Logan]

Just last week, one 17ft monster strangled a two-year-old as she slept in her cot. It sounds like an urban myth, or the plot of a lurid B-movie. But this particular horror story is real.

Not really. The baby was killed by an idiot parent's pet that got out of its cage, not a free-roaming snake. It was in Tampa, not the Glades, so exactly the same thing could have happened in Detroit. And the critter was 6 feet, not 17.

[Daffynition]

I notice at the link ... the article's author, Michael Hanlon, has used every single image that you have ever posted on your python threads ... meh!

[RoadGumby]

Hello all,

It is kind of surprising to hear the responses here on FR that are grounded more in ‘fear’ or ‘misunderstanding’ than facts.

Fact - snakes are not the malevolent creatures so often portrayed. They are not cute and cuddly either, but can make great pets.

Having said that, keeping the large variety, one must truly understand and respect the animal you are keeping. Too often this is not the case and you get the tragedy that happened to the little girl. Or, you get someone who is not capable of keeping and caring for a large snake and the animal is turned loose (similar to stories of pet gators being released, they are ‘cool’ until they get too big).

This is the problem in the ‘glades, released pets finding a great new environment. Hunting and trapping them is entirely appropriate, but I do not see the need for the ‘fear’ and ‘hysteria’ here.

For the record, I have 5, a 2 y.o. Corn Snake, 3 3y.o. King Snakes and a 6 y.o. Yellow Anaconda. I’ve managed to ‘convert’ several people scared of snakes into actually holding them, just because of seeing them in a controlled environment.

Hope you all have a great day ;^)