Post by Smilin' Jack on Aug 6, 2013 21:16:07 GMT -5
Would you keep an exotic animal (e.g. monkeys, snakes, spiders) in the house with young children?
While the snake didn't attack them, they lost their lives in any event.
Why did they have to kill the snake? And again, it didn't attack.
Spooked python kills two boys
A 100-pound (45-kilogram) python blamed in the strangling deaths of two Canadian boys apparently escaped from its enclosure, slithered through a ventilation system and fell through the ceiling into the room where the young brothers were sleeping, authorities said Tuesday.
While the snake didn't attack them, they lost their lives in any event.
"I can't believe this is real," Savoie said.
He said the boys were the children of his best friend and were often at his apartment to visit his son. Savoie said the python, which he has had for at least 10 years, had been kept alone in its enclosure and was not handled by anyone else.
Police said the snake was killed by veterinarian. It was sent for a necropsy to confirm the type of snake and help understand what may have caused it to attack.
He said the boys were the children of his best friend and were often at his apartment to visit his son. Savoie said the python, which he has had for at least 10 years, had been kept alone in its enclosure and was not handled by anyone else.
Police said the snake was killed by veterinarian. It was sent for a necropsy to confirm the type of snake and help understand what may have caused it to attack.
Why did they have to kill the snake? And again, it didn't attack.
Snake expert John Kendrick, a manager at the Reptile Store in Hamilton, Ontario, said it sounds like the python was not enclosed properly and might have been spooked. He called the strangling deaths "very unusual" but said African rock pythons tend to be a little more high-strung.
"It's very odd that one would go out and seek out a person. They don't recognize us as food," he said.
Pythons can sense heat, and if they are startled they can grab something, Kendrick said. He said snakes are very long and their muscles run lengthwise through their body, so they are not very stable unless they are holding on to something.
"A snake that size that was just trying to hold on securely enough to make sure he felt like he wasn't falling or going anywhere; he has enough muscle power to cut off circulation," he said.
It's possible that the python was just holding on to what it landed on, Kendrick said.
"Once they are in constricting mode, any part of their body that is touching something that moves, they'll wrap it," he said.
"It's very odd that one would go out and seek out a person. They don't recognize us as food," he said.
Pythons can sense heat, and if they are startled they can grab something, Kendrick said. He said snakes are very long and their muscles run lengthwise through their body, so they are not very stable unless they are holding on to something.
"A snake that size that was just trying to hold on securely enough to make sure he felt like he wasn't falling or going anywhere; he has enough muscle power to cut off circulation," he said.
It's possible that the python was just holding on to what it landed on, Kendrick said.
"Once they are in constricting mode, any part of their body that is touching something that moves, they'll wrap it," he said.
Spooked python kills two boys