I have had many pet snakes in my life, including two boa constrictors (not at the same time). Moreover, my teenaged daughter has had a ball python for the past twelve years. Sadly, she recently had to find it a new home since she’s heading off to college. (Besides, although their average lifespan in the wild is 10 years, if well cared for in captivity they have been known to live for more than 45 years).
One of the first things I taught my daughter about handling snakes is never to put them near your face. When constrictors are going to strike, they first put their necks in an “S” shape, which gives the means to stretch out in a strike. So you have to keep them at a distance where even when they stretch out their necks, they still can’t reach your face).
I will say that unlike ball pythons, which rarely reach 5’ in length (or maximum of 6’ for females), boas do get big enough to be dangerous (10-12 feet).
This woman clearly got in trouble because she had the bad judgment to let a 5’ constricter wrap around her neck, and get in position where it could bite her face.
Shame on her. I hope she learned her lesson about the proper way to handle constrictors. Rule #1: Never let them get within striking distance of your face.
RULE 1:No snake is a loving pet.
Rule 2: Be wary of people who keep snakes.