News Story

[NightLad]

"Snake bites teen, holds on for almost an hour"

Story and video can be found by clicking here.

The news report:

A Travis County teenager is recovering after her pet python bit her, then wrapped around her arm and wouldn't let go. EMS dispatched crews to the girl's Northwest Austin apartment early Friday morning after getting a panicked call from her mother.

The ordeal started when the alarm clock sounded, and the girl's sudden movement startled the snake, a ball python named Kyra. The snake sunk its teeth into Melodi Wells' hand.

"I turned my hand around, and all of a sudden she started spiraling around my hand," Wells said.

The snake constricted for 45 minutes.

"It was really hard," she said. "There was blood everywhere, and my whole hand was three times (its normal) size. It was purple. It was really scary."

Wells' mother trickled water down her daughter's arm in an effort to loosen the snake's grip, but Kyra only squeezed tighter. Emergency workers tried putting ice on the snake and putting bleach near the snake, in hopes of forcing it to open its mouth. Emergency workers got help from the public, who heard about the situation on a news radio station. Wells says it was a caller who suggested the ammonia capsules that finally caused the ball python to loosen its grip.

Even though her arm is sore and weak, she thinks she'll heal just fine.

"I was lucky I didn't have to get any shots, because I'm scared of shots," she says.

That's right: the girl who had a python clamped on her arm is scared of a needle. The snake is just fine -- that's what Wells says concerned her most. She and her mother don't blame the snake for reacting the way it did when it was startled. They plan to keep Kyra.

I'm glad the girl and the snake are okay. I hope she invests in a better snake cage with a lock after this! I was also happy to hear that she stressed the 'why' of the bite/latch as well as the fact that she did not blame the snake and was concerned for its well-being. I'm sure the general public would not know the difference had she not mentioned that. Kudos to the news for not making this seem like a sensational horror story or something, I think they presented it fairly.

[ADEE]

wow, while its scarey i too am glad to hear how this ended.. its great to hear they plan to not only keep the snake but they didnt make the snake sound like a monster

[Freakie_frog]

She and her mother don't blame the snake for reacting the way it did when it was startled.

WOW I'm surprise they printed that.

Good for them

[Lucero87]

so the snake was out of the cage in the morning? did it escape?

[NightLad]

so the snake was out of the cage in the morning? did it escape?

In the video interview the girl says that the snakes cage was left partly open the previous night. I'm guessing it got out, became cold, and got on to the bed to share her body heat. Then the alarm went off and she made a fast motion that startled it. But that's just my own guesswork.

[Noek]

can't a ball python be 'peeeld' off...I mean, I understand if it was a 15 foot retic or afrock or an anaconda, but a bp?

[broadude]

Great story and honestly told.

In situations of this nature, it would be kinda difficult to peel it off once the teeth clamp in because of the slant of the teeth. The best tactic is to encourage the snake to let go on its own.

[rabernet]

can't a ball python be 'peeeld' off...I mean, I understand if it was a 15 foot retic or afrock or an anaconda, but a bp?

I dunno - ask Ed (Freakie_Frog).

[Freakie_frog]

I dunno - ask Ed (Freakie_Frog).

AAAAAHHHAAAAA you so funny.

Yea I tend to bring out the snake in my snakes. Yea a ball can hang on with the best of them.

[Bristen]

did anybody notice how that ball python looked? almost a light green tint to it's head... not sure if it's just the lighting or the quality of the video, but that looks like a nice ball python

Glad the story has a happy ending and reported factually instead of stretching everything out of proportion... not sure why it was a "big story" though, sounds like a rather small deal to me heh...

Regards,
Bristen.