A Eugene police officer can now add snake wrestler to his list of skills after an attack on a pet store worker Thursday.
Police said they were called to the pet store on Elmira around 3:30 p.m. on a report that a 12-foot Burmese Python had latched onto the woman and wrapped itself around her.
Police Sergeant Ryan Nelson was about to use his knife to get the snake free, but the victim pleaded for the snake’s life.
Nelson and another firefighter were finally able to pry the snake’s mouth open and uncoil it after a struggle, freeing the woman. After Nelson got the snake into its cage, the huge reptile escaped and tried to attack Nelson.
The snake lost a couple of teeth in the ordeal, but no one suffered any serious injuries.
Photo from Flickr, by DashTapper
Monday, April 21, 2008
Officer wrestles python in pet store attack
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Woman fights off killer python
A woman determined not to let her kitten become the second victim of a hungry python broke her wrist and was bitten twice as she fought off the large snake.
Ruth Butterworth, 58, of Bridgeman Downs on Brisbane's northside, said that as her mother's cat had been crushed to death days earlier, she knew she had to act to stop her kitten, Tuffy, from suffering the same fate.
Source: Herald Sun
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Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Python Eats Australian Family Dog
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.
The boy and girl, ages 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.
Source: AP
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Snakes invade Florida!
Where is St. Patrick when you need him?
* In East Manatte, a 13-foot-long, reticulated python, nicknamed the "Wal-Mart snake," was caught Monday in a culvert near Morgan Johnson Road off State Road 64.
"Reticulated pythons grow to be the longest snake in the world. Up to 33 feet has been reported," local wildlife rehabilitator Justin Matthews said, adding this female, 13-foot-long snake appeared to be approximately 4 years old. "The snake at this age could be potentially dangerous if someone did not know what they were doing and if it got wrapped around their neck. What it basically adds up to is 30 pounds of squeezing pressure per square inch."
Farm officials say it may be the largest snake in captivity.
In Everglades National Park, a snake wrangling tale sounds like a Three Stooges routine.
A 6-foot python sought refuge by slithering up into the engine compartment of tourist Ron DeLong's Ford Explorer.
DeLong attempted to grab the python with the curved end of his walking cane but failed as the snake slithered through.
With the snake now wrapped around his engine, DeLong drove 15 miles to the park's main entrance to get help.
A park ranger, two biologists and a firefighter opened the hood and tried to yank the snake out, but the python just gripped the engine more tightly.
Tasering the snake proved to be an unsuccessful tactic as the python began to contract and excrete bodily fluids all over the four responders.
Our four heroes then disassembled the undercarriage of the vehicle until they could reach the snake. They slapped some duct tape on its mouth and uncoiled the snake from the engine, then killed it.
After putting the car back together again, they brought the snake to the lab for study.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Skimming the news
* A Montana man says he was lucky to find a mechanic without a snake phobia when his pet Burmese python hid under the dashboard of his car.
* In Britain, six abandoned kittens have found an unexpected new mother figure - a pet rabbit.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Couldn't find his Burberry scarf?
Police arrested a New York resident Tuesday who was walking down the Montauk Highway with this Burmese python wrapped around his body.
Curtis Dewberry, 35, was charged with animal cruelty and failure to protect the public against dangerous wildlife. Each charge carries a maximum sentence of 1 year in jail or a $1,000 fine. Dewberry pleaded not guilty.
Source: Newsday
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Columbus Zoo buys popular 24-foot python
The gigantic python that slithered its way into Columbus' heart on a visit last summer is there to stay.
The animal, thought to be the world's longest captive snake, will call the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium home permanently.
Fluffy's Columbus stint was supposed to last from April through Halloween. Zoo Director Emeritus Jack Hanna had arranged the loan from python breeder Bob Clark in Oklahoma City, who'd raised Fluffy from a hatchling.
The 24-foot-long snake with the watermelon-size girth wowed zoo visitors and helped make last year's 1.53 million attendance the second highest on record, Fingerhut said. The biggest year was 2006, with 1.56 million visitors.
So when Nov. 1 rolled around, zookeepers weren't happy about packing up Fluffy for her flight back to Oklahoma City. Then, they got a reprieve. The cargo company scheduled to ferry the 300-pound reticulated snake had gone out of business, and Clark was having trouble finding a substitute.
In the end, the zoo purchased Fluffy for $35,000.
Source: The Columbus Dispatch
