Horror as two-year-old girl is strangled to death by 8ft pet python

[Birka]

The laws of Natural Selection. Nature decreed that these 2 should not pass along their genetic code.

[Loki]

Well, I've always had snakes and lizards at home when I was a boy. I caught them myself in the veldt. My mother didn't appreciate them though.

[Beorn]

I guess? It must be a big snake to choke down a human, even a baby.

There are a few recorded cases of villagers catching snakes with humans inside. I recall watching one programme where the authorities were describing one example where the snake had killed the man and was trying to consume him.
The problem was (for the snake that is) the snake had started to swallow the body on its back whereas it should have started with the body on its side.

As it was the authorities got there to witness this snake literally choking on this body.

There was also that case just recently in Africa where a man was lifted off of the ground by a snake and taken up to the tree the snake had wrapped itself round. The man had to bite it several times to make it let him go.

EDIT: Here we go. Here's the story.

[Zyklop]

Not my place to post tasteless images but if you do a google image search for "snake eating man" you will find some pictures of humans getting swallowed by constrictor snakes. It surely is possible.

[Tabiti]

Pets are unpredictable, indeed. I still have scars left from our dobermans. In one moment they are nice and loving, in other they pierce your skin...However, once we took the responsibility to keep pet in home, we should expect that and learn our children how to behave with animals or just not to leave them alone in the beginning. Animals have no fault for their wild nature, we, the humans, have for our irresponsibility!

[Kempenzoon]

I would never keep a pet inside the home in the first place, no matter what pet.

Then again, I do admit I feel drawn to difficult/wild/dangerous pets.

I'd love to own a square mile or so of forest land I can fence off and live there with a few Czechoslovakian Wolfdogs. But I'm not nearly stupid enough to think they would be allowed to come near other humans or pets, especially small ones; or to ever come INSIDE the house. They belong outside, in the green and brown of the earth.

[Osweo]

I would never keep a pet inside the home in the first place, no matter what pet.

That's over the top, and may be doing a disservice to any children you might have; they should learn how to deal with an animal, and may also get something useful out of the observation that animals are very like us in many ways, thinking and feeling, dreaming.

Then again, I do admit I feel drawn to difficult/wild/dangerous pets.

But why? Is it not just some odd fetishism? Isn't it enough to watch wild nature, rather than imprison it for our selfish amusement?

[Tabiti]

If you love wild, "exotic" animals, the best you could for these creatures is to leave them wild and free...

[British and Proud]

First, dogs kill way more kids than snakes. Second, keeping pets that can easily kill your children under the same roof as them is a bad, bad idea. You can raise a pet for years, but you'll never really know if they're just going to lose it one day. They are animals, and, despite a long history of domestication, can be quite unpredictable.

I don't agree. Most dogs that savage kids belong to a variety of breeds that have been bred for hunting or as guard dogs.

I'd trust my cat 100% with kids - he's very soft natured and would definitely seek refuge than turn on them.

[Phlegethon]

Snakes are pretty much low maintenance. You only have to feed them every two weeks and keep them warm. And it is not that they are really dangerous. 12 people killed by snakes in almost 30 years? It is much more likely you get struck by lightning or have a balcony fall on your head.