Sad News

it must be nice to live in your world where everything seems to be completely black and white.

Actually that story just came on the news here a few minutes ago. I cannot believe that the snake escaped more than once, and the "responsible owner" just put it back in making no adjustments the escape-proof-ability of the cage :( it just sickens me that this could happen and make all of us look bad. The owner was obiously not responsible: No liscence where it is required to have one, did not fix the cage so that the burmeese could not escape, and STABBING the animal even though it was most likely just a feeding response. Because the kid was 2 years old, they were very small...small enough to mabey resemble food or the large snake?

I hope this doesnt catch the attention of TOO many or it could effect us in a very bad way :( not that we aren't already looked down apon and frowned on

That's a horrible and sad story, and not to jump to any conclusions or make accusations, the story doesn't seem to add up. The article said that there were multiple bite marks on the toddler. I don't know if that means a single bite with multiple teeth marks, but I took it to mean that there were several separate bites. Like Wes said, a burm that small would not likely find it's way to the babies room, mistake a toddler for food, then strike at it several times, clamping down each time, then constrict the toddler. I can't picture that scenario taking place. Especially since the dad said the snake has escaped multiple times in the past. Has anyone here ever had a snake escape, and not gotten to the bottom of the escape route and remedied the problem?

Then, the dad says he noticed the snake was gone, then went to check on his daughter, then stabbed the snake. These people are obviously not the brightest, but every owner of an 8 foot burm should know that it can be easily and quickly unwrapped in a situation like that, likely much faster than it would take to make the decision to go look for a weapon. I hope the police don't treat this as an open and shut case and just assume that this is a likely scenario if an 8 foot python gets out of it's aquarium. It just doesn't make sense.

One report I read did say an autopsy would be done on the child.

There is no good ending to this but I do hope...well, hell, I don't hope anything right now. The kid is dead and for who knows what reason.

Local news story here is the same as the other ones I've read. It's been pretty unbiased but omg, the comments that people are leaving now are ridiculous. I replied to their ignorance with statistics regarding dog related deaths(239 1979-1998), automobile deaths( 2000/yr) and neglect/maltreatment deaths (1760 in 2007). 12 people/5 kids in close to 30 years is not that big of a deal IMHO.

It simply blows me away that any reasonably sane, thinking adult would think it no big deal that a large snake was repeatedly escaping in their home, let alone a home with a very young child in it. That's the same stupid mindset of people that do have dog attacks happen and then it comes out that their dog has been showing highly aggressive attitudes for years but "we never thought he'd actually bite a child". My husand oftens says it and it's so true. People ought to have at least two more working brain cells than the animals they choose to keep!

The sad part is a lot of people are going to use this against us. Lawmakers will likely be quoting this case. Most will not acknowledge that isn't about big snakes at all. It may well be about neglectful parents, it certainly is about a neglectful and plain stupid snake owner. Unfortunately that's not likely to be the focus since the image of a big snake wrapped around a tiny toddler is just too awful to see past for most people. :(

I know for myself if this is brought up to me by non-snake owners I will be using it to help educate on proper snakekeeping. Education is the key to help quell panic and mindless fear.

In my opinion the only way it woudl NOT be the owner's fault would be if someone broke into the home, broke the snake out of it's locked enclosure, but left it there without taking it. Not a real likely schenario.

In Florida, the snake is supposed to be in a LOCKED enclosure, and most 2 year olds can't undo locks very well, especially if the key is elsewhere as it should be. Was it locked up? Doubtful. Multiple escapes?

I'm sorry, but if I saw a 8 ft snake wrapped around a toddler, I might stab it too. If I was not an experianced keeper, I might panic. Knowing what I do about snakes and handling snakes, I would probably just unwrap it, or grab alcohol to get it off.. but if those did not work for some reason, yes.. you bet I'd stab it. I'd just do a better job than he did.

Who knows? He might have even TAKEN the snake out and put it on/near his kid, thinking it would be cute for them to play together..people have done that sort of thing in the past. Whatever happened in that home, it sadly led to the death of an innocent child, and it will be bad press for us.

If a snake was harming my baby, never mind wrapped around him killing him, I would kill it, stab it, cut its head off. That Mama instinct is strong- and no snake, dog, or any other creature on this earth has my consideration if it's hurting/killing my child... THAT said... since I DO love animals and my child, I take utmost care that this will not ever be an issue. My child and my snakes are never allowed to make contact. Right now he cannot walk (he's three months old) so I don't worry too much, but we never hold the snakes except when he is napping or in bed for the night. We wash up carefully after we touch them, and we don't let them or their supplies contact anything he might touch. It's called being responsible! Once he can wander around, I plan to get one of those things so he can't open the door to the snake room, plus all the snakes are up where he can't reach them. In addition to that, we do not have any snakes larger than a four foot ball python. When our BRB and our JCP (both small babies) get large enough they could in any way EVER harm a child, they will absolutely be securely contained where he cannot reach them. Not to mention I would never have my child unsupervised... he co-sleeps in my room with me.

A few people on other forums who know I have snakes have asked how I could have these horrible creatures near my baby. People asked me this BEFORE this case happened! I get asked all the time, "How do you keep the snakes away from the baby/the dog?" Aside from my standard answers of, "I'm not an idiot" and "snakes live in tanks- they don't roam the house" I also explain that I do not keep large, powerful snakes.

People are soooo ignorant and uneducated, and their fear of snakes is so unfounded and bizarre. We have a long road ahead of us.

Whatever actually occurred, it is certainly a tragic death and of course this incident will be used as an example by the proponents of 669.

so the local news in titusville (just outside of orlando) said that he was keeping the snake in an aquairum and it kept getting out so he put it into a snake bag and then but it back into the aquairum.

so everyone at work knows im into snakes and ive beening answering questions all morning. not one of them knows of the ROC laws and most are biologist.

its sad that this happened and is something we really don't need right now!