# Boa Constrictor stangles 2-yr old girl ...



## Leeana (Jul 3, 2009)

First off - I have a huge phobia of snakes ...

I seen this on the news a few days ago at work and made a note to check into the story online and i found several articles on several happenings of this same sort - WHY would you own a boa constrictor and have a small child?? I really feel that you should have special license to own a large dangerous snake of this sort - then agian ...like i said i have a major snake phobia. To me they are no less "dangerous" then owning a pit bill (not to start a riot as i know there are many pit bull enthusiasts on here but just making a reference).













http://www.postchronicle.com/news/breaking...212241346.shtml

Correction -- It was a Burmese Python that killed the child...but they to owned a Boa Constrictor.................. ugh


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## nbark (Jul 3, 2009)

Responsibility for ANY animal, reptile or otherwise, lies with the owner. I don't have any animal phobias but cannot for the life of me understand how a woman would allow a boyfriend to move in with her children and bring along a snake capable of killing those children. This was not your run of the mill garden snake. There are nuts out there who want the alligators, the boas and even the rattlers....for what....bragging rights.....So now a little girl is dead, I blame the mother for allowing this to happen. At least from what I read in the newspaper, this was a boyfriend. I am so tired of hearing the move in "boyfriend" raped, murdered, beat or abused a child of the woman he was living with. Are women that desperate to take in someone they don't really know and give them access to their children....mind boggling to me.....I wouldn't allow a boyfriend near my animals, let alone kids, if I had any and God help the person I catch hurting an animal or anyone for that matter. I got beat up so many times as a kid cause I hated bullies and jumped in to defend anyone getting picked on. It toughened me up and I still go jumping in....only now I don't get beat up, if you get my drift. Sad, sad world we live in right now...JMO


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## Bess Kelly (Jul 3, 2009)

Yep, saw it on the news. They showed snake, child, etc. Shame!!!!!!!!! I would never have a snake as a pet because I'm not snake friendly......but, WOW, one of this size, given their method of hunt and I would not want it in the house. They did not have adequate containment and control.


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## Charlene (Jul 3, 2009)

nbark, you are reading my mind! i have to agree with everything you said, 1,000%!!!


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## Boss Mare (Jul 3, 2009)

Yep heard the story.. and.. 1) It was a Python, a Burm. NOT a Boa!!

While I am sadden for the loss I am angry against the snake owner.. the proper "home" needs to be found for the snake. Obviously the owner was not a good snake keeper that it could escape; and get to the child.

OUR snake housing unit was $4k.... without all of the extras that we added later on.. My biggest baby is my Burm. Python.. Though we don't take any for granted! My snakes have grown over the last week and we now have 15! We have plenty of room and our cages are locked.. keys are hidden even our dogs are taught not to step foot in the room..

I posted a photo thread on our snakes not too long ago.. we have made a couple additions.. in case anyone would like to search..

Soo, sad..... but let's hope it opens the eyes..


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## AppyLover2 (Jul 3, 2009)

Even with no kids there's *no way* anyone would bring a snake in my house.


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## ~Dan (Jul 3, 2009)

My mom told me about that.

Stupidity on the parents, these snakes have been known to attack their adult handlers, and even eat aligator carcasses in the wild, what makes you think they would make good pets, let alone with a 2 year old in the house??? If these people hope to get sympathy, then they are deffinatley off of their rockers.

Personally, I think it should be made illigal to sell these large snakes in pet stores, with all of the problems that come along with them.

Also, these people that buy them as babies, dont seem to relize that they can grow to be *huge* and they keep them in these tiny terrariums, what wrong with them





Hopefully, tohers will learn from this tragedy and so will pet stores that sell these beats.

-Dan


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## Leeana (Jul 3, 2009)

Boss Mare said:


> Yep heard the story.. and.. 1) It was a Python, a Burm. NOT a Boa!!
> While I am sadden for the loss I am angry against the snake owner.. the proper "home" needs to be found for the snake. Obviously the owner was not a good snake keeper that it could escape; and get to the child.
> 
> OUR snake housing unit was $4k.... without all of the extras that we added later on.. My biggest baby is my Burm. Python.. Though we don't take any for granted! My snakes have grown over the last week and we now have 15! We have plenty of room and our cages are locked.. keys are hidden even our dogs are taught not to step foot in the room..
> ...


I completely respect your love for and to own these snakes BUT i just feel like i owe it to my 7 pound shih tzu to not put her life in danger (let alone a two year old child!!) - even if the tank is completely secured....something can bump into / fall over / bounce into & break the glass and the snake get out...i just feel these animals are not really ment to be "pets" and do not have the same "pet" mentality that a horse / dog / cat has..


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## garyo (Jul 3, 2009)

This incident occurred about one hour away from us and very near where we buy our hay. It is a huge story on our local news. It was just reported that the snakes cage was only covered with a blanket, no lid. The snake had also previously escaped earlier that night.

The baby's maternal grandmother was just on the 11:00 news saying she believes both her daughter and the boyfriend should be charged with a crime.

It is such a shame that incidences such as this occur because of the stupidity and lack of responsibility of the snakes owner. In Florida, one has to have a permit to have a burmese python, of course he didn't.

That is also the species of snake that has become such a big problem in the everglades.

Gary


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## Reijel's Mom (Jul 4, 2009)

They played the 911 call - heartbreaking



. And you can just picture the terror/pain that little tiny girl went thru. . . Awful.

I don't mean any disrespect to those that own snakes, but I don't get it. . . I don't think it's fair for a snake to live in captivity and I want my pets to like me back. . .


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## Marty (Jul 4, 2009)

Absolutely horrified! Every time my kids would pick up just a harmless garden snake I'd go crazy and make them get rid of it. Good thing they knew what was poisous and what wasn't early on. They had a lot of very good education that way thanks to their school system in Florida so surely the owner knew what the heck he had there in his possession as an adult. I do blame the mother for allowing the boyfriend to bring that thing into their home with a child knowing full well the capibility it had to do just what it did to the baby. My question would be why didn't they hear the child scream or cry? Maybe she was sleeping and never had a chance poor little thing.


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## mydaddysjag (Jul 4, 2009)

I know many people who keep large snakes and have kids, the difference is that they are responsible. When I was a kid both my mom, and aunt had burmese pythons, both over 10' The difference was that the snakes were in very large enclosures made of reinforced 3/4" plywood, with shatterproof front doors that had locks so the doors couldnt move, and even then, were kept in a special room, which we were not allowed in. On cage cleaning days at home, we would go to my aunts, and on her cage cleaning days, her kids came here. Cage doors were never open when the snake room door was open, even when the kids weren't home. Im pretty sure the snakes were also fed in separate large Rubbermaid type containers so that they didn't associate things entering their cage with food. They both had these snakes well before they had kids, and not many people want to adopt a 12' snake. They didn't have them for bragging rights, but because my mother managed a petstore that specialized in reptiles, and my aunt modeled for motorcycle magazines and calendars and used snakes as props, and just so happened that she worked at the petstore my mom managed.

The issue is not with keeping snakes as pets, but people not having any speck of responsibility and buying them on a whim because they think they are "cool", when they dont have the ability or intentions to take proper care of the animal, or acknowledge and respect what that animal is capable of.

It is a terrible thing what happened to this little girl due to her idiot of a mom, and her boyfriend.


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## Boss Mare (Jul 4, 2009)

ANY "pet" can turn on their handler and attack, injury, escape, etc. etc.


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## Jill (Jul 4, 2009)

I've seen the story (pictures, video, 911 call) on FOX News about a dozen times. Absolutely sickening


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## Pepipony (Jul 4, 2009)

When there is a child present, then no one can assume that anything is secure. Period. Far too often exotics or pits for that matter, harm or kill. The owners nearly always claim how secure the cage/pen was, or how nice and sweet the dog was. People dont want to be regulated, so we allow dangerous pets, hoping that the owners will be responsible. That is asking alot of people.


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## Littleum (Jul 4, 2009)

Pepipony said:


> When there is a child present, then no one can assume that anything is secure. Period. Far too often exotics or pits for that matter, harm or kill. The owners nearly always claim how secure the cage/pen was, or how nice and sweet the dog was. People dont want to be regulated, so we allow dangerous pets, hoping that the owners will be responsible. That is asking alot of people.


You mentioned what I was just thinking- how is a python different from any dog that's from stock bred to be aggressive?

Snakes can be quite tame but they're hardly domesticated. Dogs bred to be aggressive may be domesticated but they HAVE been bred to be aggressive. You're not going to overcome generations of breeding with one lifetime of handling.

We hear about dog attacks where children are mauled and killed at least a few times a year. Kids are killed/crippled riding horses- I've heard of 3 incidents this year alone and it's just June.

But a snake attack is international news. Of course more people have dogs then snakes, and more kids ride then play with snakes.

I'm just pointing out that I think it's a bit ironic that people are screaming that the parents should be in prison for life, snakes should be outlawed/banned, ect ect... and yet well... I guess you see my point. It's not often you hear about a parent being trumped up on felony charges for the actions of a dog, horse ect, but a snake?

Personally I think a lot of this hysteria is due to our own cultural leeriness for things creepy-crawly. It's easy to raise a fuss about how snakes should never be kept as pets because well... most people think they're ucky and don't have them. But start telling someone they can't keep their fighting-bred-Pit and it's ALL on. I don't see the difference. The pit can be trained and the snake can be contained, but is it really responsible with kids in the house either way to trust nuture over nature? Like I said: I don't see the difference. But I'll bet you plenty the people who DO have their big aggressive-breed dogs will be happy to tell me there IS a difference! 

Believe me, I'm not saying that this isn't awful and horrible and good God, what kind of backwater mouthbreathers cover a Python cage with a BLANKET and think that's suitable containment?!



And yes, I agree, the parents should be held responsible to the full extent of the law. Nor am I saying parents who put their kids at risk by keeping aggressive dogs or puts their 4yo without a helmet/vest on a 4yo and sent to do a cloverleaf full-tilt shouldn't be taken out behind the barn and thrown behind bars when/if their kid gets crippled/killed. Irresponsible parenting is irresponsible parenting.

I'm just saying that blame the parents, because it's not the pet that's at fault. It's the stupid adults responsible for the pet (whatever that pet may be)


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