Pet python strangles toddler

[Flak]

Originally Posted by A*O

I don't have a problem with snakes but I have no idea why anyone would keep one as a pet. What do they DO? Can you train it to at least bark at strangers or fetch a stick or something?

We have two ball pythons (Sophie and Howl), and we are going to breed them as a genetics project. They are both heterozygous albino's, so we are going to see how many of the babies come out albino.

They are fun to watch, and we handle ours around every other day (except after feeding.) The girls had them out yesterday trying to count their scales.

I would never own larger snakes. You really need to be an experienced handler and be very safety conscious. The owner was obviously not doing his due diligence if it got out.

[mklady]

We were talking about this at the ice cream place this afternoon. My friend was telling us about one of her teachers in high school, he had one of these bigger snakes and went on vacation. Someone was taking care of it for him while he was away but must not have been feeding it enough because when he opened the tank, the snake got a hold of his hand and arm. She said all he could do was keep pulling at the mouth and hitting on it till it let go. There was nothing else he could do since he was alone and it took multiple people to move it around.

[A*O]

That guy is enjoying handing that massive thing WAY too much The snake looks like it just ate a herd of sheep.

[Honey]

A two-year-old girl has been strangled to death in her bed by a pet python which escaped from its cage in the middle of the night.
The eight-foot Burmese python broke out of a terrarium and killed toddler Shaiunna Hare in her bedroom in Florida.
Charles Jason Darnell, the snake's owner and boyfriend of the child's mother, went to the little girl's room when he realised the reptile was missing.

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Stab marks can be seen on the snake's body as police measure it before taking it away after the tragic accident in Florida


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The snake's owner Charles Jason Darnell hugs Jaren Hare, the mother of Shaiunna Hare, 2, who was strangled to death by Darnell's python in the middle of the night

He found Shaiunna in the snake's deadly grasp, with bite marks on her head.
Darnell stabbed at the snake until he was able to pry the child away, but the infant was dead by the time emergency services arrived.
'The baby's dead!' a sobbing caller from the house screamed to an emergency all dispatcher in a recording. 'Our stupid snake got out in the middle of the night and strangled the baby... She got out of the cage last night and got into the baby's crib and strangled her to death.'
Authorities did not say who made the emergency call.
The snake was taken away alive by emergency services.


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The snake, which is over eight feet long, is placed inside a bag before being taken away in a dog crate

Darnell did not have a permit for the reptile. He has not been charged but investigators are looking into whether there was child neglect or if any other laws were broken.
The snake is to be placed with someone who does have a permit for it pending an investigation into the toddler's death.
At least 12 people have been killed in America by pet pythons since 1980, including Shaiunna and four other children.
Burmese pythons can reach a length of 26 feet (8 metres)and weigh more than 200lbs (90kg).

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More bloody stab marks can clearly be seen on the snake's body as it's taken away by officers

Some owners have freed pythons into the wild and a population of them has taken hold in the Everglades. One killed an alligator and then burst when it tried to eat it.
Scientists also speculate a number of Burmese pythons escaped in 1992 from pet shops battered by Hurricane Andrew and have been reproducing since.
'It's becoming more and more of a problem, perhaps no fault of the animal, more a fault of the human,' said Jorge Pino, a state wildlife commission spokesman. 'People purchase these animals when they're small. When they grow, they either can't control them or release them.'
George Van Horn, owner of Reptile World Serpentarium, said the strangulation could have occurred because the snake felt threatened or because it thought the child was food.
'They are always operating on instinct,' he said. 'Even the largest person can become overpowered by a python.'

Horror as two-year-old girl is strangled to death by pet python in the middle of the night | Mail Online

[angelais]

I don't understand why anyone would want a snake of this size as a pet. Sorry but that couple looks like white trash and the dude needs a bra. Just my 2 cents.

[sputnik]

shaiunna?
i'm sorry but how do you even pronounce that?

[KandyKorn]

Originally Posted by A*O

I don't have a problem with snakes but I have no idea why anyone would keep one as a pet. What do they DO? Can you train it to at least bark at strangers or fetch a stick or something?

OMG!! I just pictured some moron trying teach his snake to fetch or rollover!!

[Honey]

Oops I think this has been posted, I did do a search

He needs a bra? Funny

[Aella]

Originally Posted by Honey

One killed an alligator and then burst when it tried to eat it.

Forget about the main story, I'm just stuck on that line.

It killed an ALLIGATOR? Damn, I wouldn't want to run into that in the wild!

[twitchy2.0]

With parents like that, it's amazing that the kid made it to two.

[laynes]

How awful for everyone involved. Yes the guy was a moron living with a snake like this but I'm sure he never imagined this happening in a million years. Kind of like when the family pet dog attacks and kills a baby.

I hope he gets some sort of punishment for not having the permits but obviously he will suffer plenty living with the guilt.

[sharky]

My husband's friend had a pet python that he fed live rabbits.
Then the snake got really big and started "looking at him funny".
So he got rid of it.

[L1049]

The snake's owner Charles Jason Darnell hugs Jaren Hare, the mother of Shaiunna Hare, 2, who was strangled to death by Darnell's python in the middle of the night

So what they're trying to say is that a snake killed a hare?








I'll take one ticket. Window seat please.

[crumpet]

Originally Posted by sharky

My husband's friend had a pet python that he fed live rabbits.
Then the snake got really big and started "looking at him funny".
So he got rid of it.

God, I howled out loud at that visual!!!

[Laurent]

That poor child. Dying like that must be horrific.