Kids Watch Snake Eat Family Dog

[lizbud]

This family makes me sick. The dog couldn't be pulled away from the
snake because it might hurt or kill the snake. The heck with the frikkin snake, help your dog.


Snake eats family dog as kids watchStory Highlights
16-foot scrub python stalked family's pet for days, expert says

Kids, ages 5 and 7, see their dog eaten by snake

Snake digesting dog in zoo, will be released into wild


BRISBANE, Australia (AP) -- A 16-foot python stalked a family dog for days before swallowing the pet whole in front of horrified children in the Australian tropics, animal experts said Wednesday.


A 16-foot python swallows a family's dog on Monday night in Kuranda, Australia.

The boy and girl, aged 5 and 7, watched as the scrub python devoured their silky terrier-Chihuahua crossbreed Monday at their home near Kuranda in Queensland state.

Stuart Douglas, owner of the Australian Venom Zoo in Kuranda, said scrub pythons typically eat wild animals such as wallabies, a smaller relative of the kangaroo, but sometimes turn to pets in urban areas.

"It actively stalked the dog for a number of days," Douglas said.

"The family that owned the dog had actually seen it in the dog's bed, which was a sign it was out to get it," he added.

"They should have called me then, but (the snake) got away and three or four days later, I was called and went around and removed it" after the dog had been killed, Douglas said.

By the time Douglas arrived, all that could be seen of the dog was its hind legs and tail.

The zoo manager, Todd Rose, said pythons squeeze their prey to death before swallowing it whole. The 5-year-old dog would have been suffocated within minutes. Watch snake handler show off dog-eating python »

"The lady who was there threw some plastic chairs at the snake, but you've got to remember that this is about 50 kilograms (110 pounds) of aggressive muscle," Rose said.


Removing the half-swallowed dog could have harmed or even killed the python, Rose said, because dogs have sharp teeth and claws that could do the snake internal damage if it were wrenched out.

The snake was still digesting the dog at the zoo Wednesday. It will soon be moved to the bush, Douglas said.


Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may

[Catty1]

As the article says - the dog would have been dead already before it was swallowed. They said it couldn't be pulled OUT of the snake, not away. It would have made no difference.

Sad and tragic, though...these idiots should have been a bit more knowledgeable about this snake pet!

At least it will be moved to the bush...that's where it belongs.

[Taz_Zoee]

I don't think the snake was a pet. And if they had seen the snake right from the start take the dog, I would have chopped that snakes head off in a second!!! Get me the shovel!!! Or chainsaw, something!!!

[kt_luvs_kitties]

RIP poor puppy.

[RICHARD]

Not a fan of snakes, but I would have been the owner of a nice set of cowboy boots had it eaten my pet.

Doesn't snake taste like chikken?

[joycenalex]

good thing ihe snake was removed before it started eyeing the 5 year old....what morons those adults were....geez!

[ramanth]

"The family that owned the dog had actually seen it in the dog's bed, which was a sign it was out to get it," he added.

So the family knew the snake was around but didn't call someone to come and relocate it?

Stupid.

[jackie]

Was this a family pet? Or a wild snake?

[pitc9]

Was this a family pet? Or a wild snake?

It was a wild snake.
After it ate the dog they captured the snake and took it to the zoo. Then it will be re-released in to the wild.

OMG, how sad!

I, like others have said before me, would have done anything and everything to keep the snake from getting my dog.

FIRST off when I found the snake in my dog's bed I would have called SOMEONE!!!!!!

Rip Pup. I'm sorry you were owned by stupid brainless people.

[luckies4me]

If it were my dog, I would have tried to move the snake before something like this occured, however, once the dog was in the snakes possession there is no way I would have even touched the snake. Remember, this is a VERY large animal, not only would the dog have been dead before you could have done anything about it, but the snake could have very easily strangled or suffocated a human in minutes. This was a wild animal doing what wild animals do, eat. It doesn't matter if it's a cat, a dog, or a child. They will find something to eat and eat it. One animal died already in this situation, what purpose would killing another do? What gives the dog more right to live than the snake? I understand it is a pet, but the dog would have been far gone by the time anyone could have done anything. Much smaller snakes take about 3 seconds to kill their prey, not nearly enough time for a human to wrestle the pet away.

The fault was not the snakes, but the dogs owners. They should have relocated the snake as soon as they noticed it was hanging around.

[jackie]

As if they you don't call someone when you find a 16 foot snake in your pets bed. MORONS!

Poor little pup.

[Twisterdog]

Poor dog.

But it's not the snake's fault! The snake did nothing "wrong" ... it was hungry, it is a carnivore. Everything has to eat to live.

Why harm the snake to get an already dead animal out of it's mouth? Two wrongs don't make a right.

These people are complete and total idiots.

[lady_zana]

Poor dog.

But it's not the snake's fault! The snake did nothing "wrong" ... it was hungry, it is a carnivore. Everything has to eat to live.

Why harm the snake to get an already dead animal out of it's mouth? Two wrongs don't make a right.

These people are complete and total idiots.

She's right....it's not the snake's fault. It didn't know that the dog was someone's pet. It was doing only what it was meant to do.

If I had two small children and I knew that there was a 16-foot python hanging around, I would have called SOMEONE to take care of it, long before it reached the point of getting in the dog's bed.

There's always more to the story than we know, factors that don't get published.

[Pam]

Rip Pup. I'm sorry you were owned by stupid brainless people.

[mina'smomma]

I have to agree its the dog's owners who are at fault not the python. Its only doing what comes natural to it. My question is why they didn't get someone out there when they saw it in the dog's bed??? That could of easily been one of their children instead of the family dog that it had eaten. I'm sorry that poor puppy was owned by such neglegent people. Its even more sad that they let the kids stand there and watch what happened.