Pet Python Attacks Toddler Should Parents Be Charged With Endangerment?
Posted by Sarah on February 12, 2009
Pet Python Attacks Toddler; Parents Charged With Endangerment
If you haven’t heard about this before, an 18 foot long python attacked a three year old at his home.
The mother stabbed the snake to get him to release – I guess she hadn’t heard that pouring alcohol in the snakes mouth will trigger a release, or she didn’t have alcohol available, or was too flustered to remember it.
I’m sure I would be too frantic to remember anything in that situation.
Do you think the snake’s owners/child’s parents should be charged with endangerment?
There have been enough stories in the news about about pythons killing their owners or keepers lately that if the parents allowed the snake to roam freely, or to be out of the cage without the recommended two adults present to control the snake then I think they were endangering the child.
It seems that most large snake owners seem to get a little lax after caring for their snake for a while, but that’s something that you can’t do when children are involved.
I know one snake owner who’s gotten to the point that he cleans his snake’s cage without help, even though he knows he should have two people in the room in case anything happens.
But he still won’t let his dog in the room with the snake, even though he puts the snake in a bag, because he doesn’t want the dog to get eaten.
I think children are worthy of much more protection than that.
I think in certain circumstances the parents shouldn’t be charged with endangerment, but it’s hard to come up with a scenario that fits those circumstances.
Maybe if someone came to the house and let the snake loose without the owners knowledge – but wouldn’t you check to make sure the snake was safely secured if you had a 3 year old, a 3year old, and an 18 foot long snake?
What do you think about this situation?
Related Posts: Burmese Pythons
Laurie said,
Yes–they definately should be charged w/ child endangerment. We have dogs (very good dogs) but wouldn’t leave them alone with a 3 year old!!! With animals of any kind, you can never be too careful when children are involved.
Sarah said,
I agree with you Laurie.
Keeping snakes as pets said,
There’s a few details the Fox report has left out that are in other sources.
http://www.lvrj.com/news/39420957.html
http://www.kxnt.com/pages/3826431.php?
1) The python was being held in a wood and fiberglass cage using duct tape, wire and twine to hold the door shut.
2) At night the boy’s father nailed the door shut because his wife was worried it would get out.
3) The boy wasn’t just bitten and squeezed. He had to be recussitated by his mother.
4) According to the police arrest report their other snakes were also kept in cages without locks.
All of those things speak very clearly to me that the kid, and the rest of that household, were potentially in a great deal of danger. Not so much from the snake, but from the parent’s incredible stupidity.
Sarah said,
It must be scary for everyone involved to feel that they had to nail the snake’s cage shut at night so the snake wouldn’t escape.
I can’t imagine living like that.
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