Indiana Man Killed By 14ft Python

[digcolnagos]

OK, I'm gonna get yelled at here, but...


Realizing there's a difference between responsible ownership and irresponsible ownership, and recognizing I've only owned my own BP for a bit more than a month now, I'm torn about whether really big snakes should be legal. From this forum, I've learned there are a lot of responsible folks out there who really do know what they're doing, and what they're in for. On the other hand, they are outnumbered, methinks, by those who don't. And that's reason enough, I think, for Burms and others to be outlawed unless the owner has some sort of license and can demonstrate they're up to the task.

This guy from Indiana might well have been. Still, by trying to handle that snake alone, he made what proved to be a fatal error. I know: Stuff happens.

More to the point, I've read more than a few articles about Burms running wild in Florida after being released by pet owners who found they couldn't handle an animal that outweighs them and can't be left alone for a vacation longer than three days because they can't find anyone who has the stomach or knowledge to feed it. Just today, I was cruising craigslist and found someone who was trying to unload a pair of year-old Burms. Then I went to the pet store to get a frozen mouse for my BP and saw red-tailed boas on sale. The sign didn't say how big they got.

Apologies for length, but I don't think sales of Burms or reticulateds or anacondas or even red-tailed boas should be unrestricted. Unfortunately, there's a whole lot of humans out there with less sense than a snake, and an equal number eager to make a buck from those who don't realize they'll soon need an enclosure the size of a small bathroom with accompanying heat and humidity controls. And for the next three or four decades.

Think about it. A BP--or any other reptile with equivalent life span--is a HUGE commitment. How many of us can truthfully say we'll always have an understanding landlord, or a secure job with our own house, for as long as these snakes will live? A BP or a corn or a King in an aquarium or plastic tub is one thing. A 100-plus pound snake is quite another.

I know. I'm new. I probably don't know what I'm talking about. But it seems to me that if aficianados of big snakes don't want the government to enact blanket bans, it's incumbent on them to work to pass laws to ban the sale of such snakes to anyone with a few bucks and a hankering. In short, the community, I think, should police itself before someone else does.