Posts tagged "pythons"

From Home Alone's Wet Bandits, to Jasper and Horace snatching dalmatian puppies for Cruella de Vil, to the cookie-craving crooks of Cookie Crisp cereal fame, there's a reason that bumbling thieves always come in pairs: Two idiots are funnier than one.

Case in a point: A duo of would-be reptile thieves raided an Australian pet store yesterday and made off with the shop's 8-year-old, five-foot python named Boris, according to the Associated Press. Then, insanely, and in defiance of the logic and good sense that nature gives most of us, the thieving pair brought Boris to a McDonald's restaurant and put on a show, wrestling the snake in the parking lot and thoroughly befuddling onlookers.

The robbers/wrestlers were later booked on charges of burglary and theft. Boris, who the pet shop's owner, Jodie Graham, claims is something of a store mascot is doing alright, although, "he was a bit cold and stressed so I have him in the tank warming up," Graham said. "I am just glad to get him back."

Unfortunately, a lizard stolen alongside Boris by the larcenous twosome remains missing.

Giant Alien Snakes: It's not the title of a creepy new horror movie. According to a study by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), nine species of giant snakes alien to North America could become established in the wild and wreak havoc on the ecosystem. National Geographic reports that these snakes can grow longer than 20 feet and weigh over 200 pounds. The slithering giants would be capable of surviving in the wild, and since they breed quickly and lack native predators, they could quickly cause trouble in U.S. ecosystems.

Some of these snakes have already infiltrated Florida, and the Burmese python could potentially spread to the entire lower third of the U.S. While some of the snakes in question have been known to kill people, the real risk is to ecosystems, which have no defense against the alien invaders.

So where did these snakes come from? Most of them were once pets that escaped or that people released into the wild. "If you want to be good to Mother Nature, do not under any circumstances let [your snake] go," study co-author and USGS zoologist Gordon Rodda told National Geographic. "You'd be better off euthanizing it than releasing it."

The real message here seems to be: Don't adopt a pet you can't care for. And if you must get rid of your pet, deal with it in a responsible way!

A pet albino Burmese python strangled to death a two-year-old girl in her Oxford, FL. home last week. After the python's owner, Charles Darnell, awoke to find the snake's terrarium empty, he immediately ran to his girlfriend's daughter's crib to find the 8-foot python wrapped around the child. He stabbed the snake in an attempt to pry it from the girl while others dialed 911. Unfortunately, the girl was already dead when emergency crews arrived at the scene. The snake apparently had escaped and attacked the child during the night.

Darnell did not have a permit for his pet python as dictated by Florida law for all pets classified as "Reptiles of Concern" by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), nor was the pet housed under lock-and-key conditions as required. The necessary permit entails an annual $100 fee and an application that demonstrates the applicant understands the requirements for care of a Reptile of Concern. Darnell may face charges for child endangerment as well as FWC violations.