Sad News

[TheOtherLeadingBrand]

Yeah- I have a kid, and I won't be owning any giant snakes. It's just not worth the risk IMO.

Sad for all. Kind of like when a dog bite happens, and the entire breed gets blamed. It's tragic, sad, and unfair- to everyone.

[MarkS]

I really hate to bring this up, but I really hope the authorities do an autopsy on the child. It wouldn't be the first time a child died of abuse or neglect and the guilty parents tried to frame it on one of their pets.

In any case it's very very sad.

[wilomn]

I really hate to bring this up, but I really hope the authorities do an autopsy on the child. It wouldn't be the first time a child died of abuse or neglect and the guilty parents tried to frame it on one of their pets.

In any case it's very very sad.

DOH!!!

I didn't even consider that possibility. Good catch.

Another reason not to jump to conclusions.

[Chris Behof]

I guess like my pit bull's, we must blame the deed, not the breed.

[mainbutter]

If a pet snake kills someone, the blame rests with the keeper.. unless extraordinary events (robbery, hurricane, ????) were ultimately the cause of a dangerous snake being allowed unsupervised around a vulnerable person. This does not seem to be the case.

Poor kid, poor parents

Still, this makes the news when dog attacks/deaths do not?

[Ben Biscy]

I really hate to bring this up, but I really hope the authorities do an autopsy on the child. It wouldn't be the first time a child died of abuse or neglect and the guilty parents tried to frame it on one of their pets.

In any case it's very very sad.

that was actually my first thought when reading the article.

[Nvar]

Here's an interesting statistic (if true) from another reporting source.

"The Humane Society of the United States said including Wednesday's death, at least 12 people have been killed in the U.S. by pet pythons since 1980, including five children."

[Qetu]

100 % hands down without a doubt is the owners fault. regardless of how the snake got out...its the owners fault. owning these animals we all have to keep in mind...they are exotic wild animals.

but the point about it possibly being the parents framing the snake, very very good point.

im sorry for the parents if it was the snake that killed the baby..i really am. its very very sad. but them being her parents it is their responsibility to watch and care for her. as well as protect her.

oh god i hope this doesnt turn out bad for us. if it does then dogs should be banned as well. even cats. agh! owner negligence simply pisses me off...

[wolfy-hound]

I'm very sad for the family. The news here just said that the python "broke out of the glass aquarium", but... it's the HLN news, so we really don't know what sort of cage, and whether it was left unlatched, or if it was inadequate for the size python.

If anyone tried to use this as a "We should ban all pythons because a python killed the family toddler", then they should be asked when they will support a ban of all dogs, since WAY more dogs have killed family children than pythons. With a total of 12 people killed by pythons in the past 29 years(assuming there is 12 people), I'm certain that dogs have killed close to 12 people in ONE year.

Of COURSE this will be used against the herp hobby, I almost find it suspicious that it happens right when the AR folks need a bad story.

[TheOtherLeadingBrand]

12 people in 30 years is minimal.

I say we ban cigarettes or how about cars! WAY more deadly than dogs, cats, or pythons!