Posted on 08/10/2009 4:09:36 AM PDT by Daffynition
Wilbur, a four-year-old tabby, was devoured after straying into a nearby garden in Brislington, Bristol, where the Burmese python was lurking.
The cat's owners, Martin and Helen Wadey, heard "blood-chilling cries" and rushed to the neighbouring property to help. But after getting no reply from the house they were powerless to save Wilbur.
The snake's "huge bulge" was eventually scanned and RSPCA officers confirmed that micro-chipped remains were inside.
An RSPCA inspector later issued the snake's owner, Darren Bishop, with a verbal warning about appropriate housing and care requirements.
Now Mr and Mrs Wade are calling for a change in the law so that pythons are officially classed as dangerous animals, requiring a licence.
Mr Wade, 44, writing on his website "Justice for Wilbur", describes the cat as "beautiful, strong, soft, with a purr like a dynamo".
"We don't know whether Wilbur stumbled across the snake and it was an opportunistic kill, or if the snake was actively hunting him, but either way, we heard the python's strike from the terrified scream that came from Wilbur and the subsequent blood-chilling cries as he fought for his life," he said.
"Then in less than a minute, all was silent. He never stood a chance against a creature over 13 times his weight with such immense power. Wilbur was crushed, asphyxiated and consumed whole.
"Helen and I were both standing on our deck hearing everything, but unable to see what had happened, other than it involved Wilbur and it was something awful. From an upstairs window, I was able to make out movement in the garden in question, but no detail."
Pythons, which usually feed on birds and small mammals, wrap themselves around their victims. They can be bought as domestic pets for around £100. Last month a two-year-old ...
[snip]
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
Another causality of curiosity. ;(
http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/etc/1303066561.html http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/npo/1307220962.html http://www.fundforthepublicinterest.org/jobs/citizen-outreach-staff
the first link is bad
So what, these people kept their cat outside, and they don’t expect it to wander around? Or they don’t lock their doors? Now they’re blaming somebody else for their lack of attention?
Must be great to be a Liberal.
Wilbur was beautiful. Orange and whte tabbys are the BEST cats. I had one that was deliberately killed by a neighbor who resented the fact that the cat could roam free while city ordinances required his German Shepherd to be on a leash. That was 37 years ago, in another state, and I’m still mad about it.
I used to have a short haired calico that loved to play russian roulette with the neighbor’s twin Rottweilers....he’s jump off the fence into their territory and then quickly jump out as soon as the dogs got close.....
One time he mis-calculated.....
I loved that cat.
He was so sweet and affectionate.
RIP Wilbur
Pet and snake should never be used in the same sentence and people who do are simply stupid.
MEO...........Urrrrp!
LOL at ignorance. Pet and snake are great words to combine. Simply irrational fear and ignorance driving this comment.
I have 5 and all are great, tho all are also caged securely, and none are/will get 13 feet. Not sure why a Burm would be in a backyard, unattended. That is just not understandable at all.
RIP Wilbur, cats are great animals too.
Was pretty dumb idea anyway, where would I walk an Anaconda?
There are some big differences between cats and toddlers. First, of course, toddlers are human beings, and their lives far more important than the lives of cats.
Secondly, it is fairly easy to maintain a fence, capable of keeping toddlers from straying into one’s yard. It is nearly impossible to keep a neighbor’s wandering cat out of your yard.
Third, if one lets his cat wander the neighborhood there is no penalty. If one allows their toddler to wander the neighborhood, unsupervised, they could be charged with child endangerment or neglect.
I have never really understood why pet cats are permitted to wander the neighborhood, defecating in neighbor’s yards and sometimes biting or scratching children or attacking their pets.
The bigger concern I have is whether the python was properly confined to its owner’s yard. I would think it could proabably escape even a yard with a high fence and threaten neighbors’ pets or children.
I’m sure they all come when you call too, right?
Poor baby. In Southern Florida pythons (escaped and abandoned pets, and their offspring) are a genuine danger to small animals, but you wouldn’t expect it in the UK.
Don’t be silly. As I said, all are caged. As I said, I can think of no sane/valid reason for that Burm to have been loose in the yard unattended (as it seemed to be from the article.)
No wait, outlaw cats!!!!!
No wait, outlaw stupid people!!!!
Wilbur is python food.
A society that permits cats to stray and pythons to live in gardens should expect the historical relationship of prey and predator to prevail
you can’t let your cats outside unless you have a walled garden. period.
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