Escaped pet python strangles child to death

Escaped pet python strangles child to death
02-07-2009

Escaped pet python strangles child to death in Florida

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02-07-2009

Why is the loss of a child not the focus of this story? Rather the story on pythons.

This is so tragic an innocent child is dead!

02-07-2009

I'm sorry, but snakes don't 'break out' of properly constructed and secured terraria. Methinks either the enclosure was shoddy or, most likely, was left open.

Yet another innocent child - and probably an innocent snake, for that matter - falls victim to the wrong animal being kept by the wrong person. I love snakes - but keep something you can handle, like a corn snake.

02-07-2009

Agreed CGS. Even though Florida amended their permit laws a few years ago to include large constrictors with venomous snakes, that hasn't helped things much. You can still get a baby Burmese at a flea market no questions asked.

02-07-2009

I come from Australia which, due to an almost paranoid attitude to quarantine (with admittedly good reasons) has a blanket ban on exotic reptiles being held by private individuals. You can't keep a leopard gecko here, let alone a Burmese. I have my own feelings on how that approach has worked (let's put it this way - it's well known that there is an established feral population of corn snakes around Sydney) but there it is.

At the same time, private keepers can fairly easily become licensed to own and then cheaply acquire Australian elapids. Death adders, tiger snakes, brown snakes, black snakes and yes, taipans are all reasonably common in private hands here. Saltwater crocodiles too. The difference is the licensing system. The laws are strictly enforced (even for frogs, let alone taipans - it's more about wildlife conservation and animal welfare than danger to people) and there are heavy penalties for having animals off-permit. Also, I can't think of anywhere in Australia that elapids can be sold in pet shops. Only non-venomous snakes, lizards and turtles.

At the same time, it's relatively easy to get the permits in the first place. There is little incentive for people to keep illegal specimens of legal-to-own species. That's not to say that there aren't plenty of unregistered animals out there - but I dare say that the situation is better in Australia than Florida.

The upshot is that accidents do still happen. Keepers get bitten by their elapids and are taken to hospital and even occasionally die. But it tends to be the keepers making a handling error, not their kids opening the tank and having a play. Thorough but not prohibitive regulation means that elapids and crocodilians usually end up in the hands of people who know what they are doing and have at least some semblance of responsibility. I don't agree with the many people who will seize on this tragedy to say that Burmese pythons should be banned outright - mainly because they will continue to be kept and traded on the black market anyway. But some decent, commonsense management of the hobby wouldn't go astray.

02-07-2009

As long as people keep any kind of wild animals as pets, there will be accidents. All Australia has done is shift that potential accident from a large constrictor to a venomous snake. Though, as I said, Florida now "requires" someone to have a permit before purchasing any kind of large constrictor. However, I guarantee you most shops disregard that.

03-07-2009

I think there is a massive difference in the laws regulating the keeping of reptiles in Australia compared to the states. In NSW you have to have kept pythons and lower class reptiles for 2 years before you can apply for a licence to keep elapids. Even then that application needs to be accompanied by a letter from an experienced and recognised keeper of elapids.

03-07-2009

What a horrible story. Call me cynical, but I wouldn't be surprised if the snake has been framed. The demographics and the fact that it was the mother's boyfriend who discovered her all look pretty suspicious to me.

04-07-2009

That rings true. Bless the poor child. A license to keep a snake. Anybody can have a child. Yes i'ts been said before!

04-07-2009

It's a shame when irresponsible people decide to care for animals they can't handle.

04-07-2009

Agreed, it seems a bit suss to me too.
And who's saying the owner couldn't handle it? It either escaped or was framed, but that doesn't mean the owner couldn't handle it. I handle my leopard gecko perfectly well and he's escaped in the past.