African Rock Python Devours 10 Year Old Boy

Sunday Telegraph ^ | Nov. 24, 2002 | Wire Report

[ewing]

A 6 meter African rock python swallowed a 10 year old boy near Durban, the first recorded 'man eating' incident for the species.

For three hours other children hid up mango trees near the township of Lamontville, too terrified to flee, as the snake first trapped the young boy and squeezed the life out of him before consuming him whole.

Police and snake expers found no trace of the child, or his clothing, except for a trail of flattened grass and a trail leading down to a nearby stream.

The incident last week prompted wide spread panic among the 50,000 residents of the township.

[Vidalia]

Many variables including size of snake, size of child would determine length of sequence leading to death.

would there have been time to plot cutting the beast open with a rock? Possibly in an ideal situation. Not in this geographical region if the only thing these kids knew was to climb a tree.

Zoo personnel have nearly died (in the zoo proper with others present) when grabbed and coiled by a large python, so in the wild over there is again doubtful...

[PBRSTREETGANG]

So it must have been a quick death.

Well, as quick as death by asphyxiation, with the snake coiling itself around the ribcage and increasing pressure on each breath until breath can no longer be drawn.

[joesnuffy]

Group Aims To Bag World's Largest Snake

[Physicist]

Color me skeptical. This species has never been known to eat humans, but here one tackles a presumably healthy 10-year-old boy. Not impossible, but not an easy prey. Conveniently, there is no body to examine.

And not a one of the witnesses thought it safe enough to run past the snake while its mouth was full?

I think it more likely that the boy either ran away and his friends are covering for him, or he ran afoul of a real-life Lord of the Flies situation.

[Blood of Tyrants]

Have a little sympathy. They are children.

[Blood of Tyrants]

He was dead after only a few minutes.

[KMJames]

Re: Your post 36.

Thanks for your further clarification of your previous comments. I now see your postings in a new light and apologize for my inappropriate assessment of your comments.

I still think the post 32 is hilarious, however.

FReegards, KMJames

[hchutch]

I hate snakes...

Cold, ugly, slimy...

[mgstarr]

I'm surprised it took 44 posts before someone mentioned this. There is probably a lot more to this than "snake swallows boy".

I'd put my money on foul play before I blamed a mysterious man-eating snake.

[r9etb]

It probably wouldn't have saved the boy but at least they could have tried something. Shows how much you know.

You're right. It would not have saved the boy at all. Snakes don't play with their prey: the snake would have crushed him as soon as he could touch him.

As for the rest, now you're just transferring your bravado from yourself to your kids. You have no clue how you would react to a 20-foot snake, much less how your young children would react.

[Hatteras]

"Color me skeptical."

Aw, crikey, do we have to call Michael Rivero again?

[aruanan]

Obviously, you are not the parents of ten and eleven year old children. Your childhood bravado is just that....childhood bravado.

Obviously, you are the mother of kids from the other end of the Bell curve. When I was six, I was catching snakes longer than myself.

[Vidalia]

Post 32 doesn't bother me, but I just cannot fathom expending the energy to be such an ass at 8:30 in the AM to begin calling names...

[aruanan]

...making the entire posting the homo of a complete moron.

Hey, isn't it unethical to misrepresent someone with a fake quote?

[boris]

"The context in which the "nervous system" was mentioned was that of a comparison to the human system.

"All creatures must have some sort of nervous system otherwise no mobility, no digestive, etc.

Really? Is a tree a 'creature'? Is a virus a 'creature'? Is an amoeba a 'creature'? Do these have 'nervous systems'?

The "nervous system" of a cold blooded species is in no manner similar to the central nervous system of homo sapien, which is what many activists would have the rest of the planet believe."

A snake has a brain, eyes, other sense organs. It has an autonomic nervous system to keep its heart beating. It has muscles which react to signals from the brain. In fact, the nervous sytem of a snake is very similar to that in a human, or that of a cat, or that of a fish. You merely compound your own ignorance.

--Boris

[Intimidator]

. You have no clue how you would react to a 20-foot snake, much less how your young children would react.

Sure I do, I always carry a knife that I use to skin deer with. If a 20 foot snake grabs my child its a no brainer, I'm going to kill the snake or its going to kill me. There is no way in hell I'd sit and let something kill my child as long as I'm around.

[mlmr]

I disagree. The snakes we have raised are lightening fast at catching their prey. And the warmer the tempature, the faster they are. Big snakes are dangerous, to little humans

[MEGoody]

This species has never been known to eat humans, but here one tackles a presumably healthy 10-year-old boy.

No, they don't normally go after humans, but they have been known to do so.