For starters, I would suggest cuddling the snake (if you must cuddle your pet snake...) against your chest, like so:
Draping it over your shoulders so that it could easily wrap itself around your neck might not be a good idea...
Posted on 06/13/2010 10:58:58 AM PDT by JoeProBono
Mother Nature has a wrath like no other.
A Nebraska man was strangled to death by his pet boa constrictor while showing the snake to a friend, police reported on Thursday.
Cory Byrne was pronounced dead Wednesday after police and paramedics loosened the 9-foot, 25-pound snake's deadly squeeze, said police.
The Nebraska Humane Society in Omaha, which currently has custody of the red-tailed constrictor, has not been able to determine what prompted the attack.
The boa seemed to be well-fed, according to the Humane Society's spokesman, Mark Langan.
"The sad reality is, whether it's a dog or a cat or snake, no matter how much you trust an animal, they react unpredictably in certain situations," Langan said. "Once a snake clamps down like that, they're extremely strong. It would have been very difficult for one person to remove that snake."
Langan added that, as far as he knows, this is the first fatality from a pet snake in Nebraska.
While the Humane Society of the United States claims that at least 13 people have been killed by pet pythons in the U.S. since 1980, this may be the first time anyone has been slain by a pet boa constrictor, said Beth Preiss, the society's captive wildlife regulation expert.
The ownerless-boa will stay in the Nebraska Humane Society's care until it can be placed in a zoo or sanctuary.
BTW: Pit Bulls or their hybrids suck.
Strangling 101A for boas:
1. Humans cannot be trusted: Imagine every human you cuddle is planning to drop you on your head. You must squeeze as tightly as possible to prevent this from happening.
2. The firm hug: Pretend you are just hugging or cuddling your human. Then apply maximum pressure. You will appear adorable while practicing your skills.
3. Use both ends: When a human tries to unwrap you on one end, wrap yourself back around them with the other end.
4. The drape and switch: If they drape you over their shoulder, it’s easy to simply raise your head and wind around their neck. Apply enough pressure till they turn blue.
5. The anchor: Once you are wrapped firmly around their neck, anchor your tail to an immovable household object. (This is a technique used by seasoned boas everywhere).
6. The double wrap: This is an advanced technique. If you are wrapped twice around their neck, it is much harder to unwrap you. You can apply a maximal squeeze with minimal effort.
7. Using visual imagery to guide the squeeze: Pretend the human neck is a big, juicy rat. The pulse you feel is the rat struggling for its life.
8. The disadvantaged human: While your tail end is wrapped around their neck, your front end should climb across their face blocking their vision so they cannot see what you are doing.
9. The full-body squeeze: Try to immobilize their arms with part of your body while strangling so they cannot reach up to unwrap you.
10. Use your teeth: Once you are in the process of strangling, they may try to unwrap you. A gentle chomp on the finger or hand will hamper their efforts.
11. Plan ahead: Make sure you locate all the sources of rats and small furry animals in the house, for after you have strangled the humans, you will have to fend for yourself.
12. The “reach”: Once you have a firm grip around their neck, reach for something with your head. The farther away you reach, the more successful the strangulation will be.
13. The “slow squeeze”: For this one, you start out loosely draped. Then very slowly apply increasing amounts of pressure in small increments. The human will hardly notice it until it is too late.
14. Dealing with obnoxious humans: If anyone says “Wakey Wakey Little Snakey” to you, you should try to strangle them immediately.
A 35 year-old, (?)divorced father, with a girlfriend, keeps a dangerous pet that ultimately kills him.
Good estate planning.
For starters, I would suggest cuddling the snake (if you must cuddle your pet snake...) against your chest, like so:
Draping it over your shoulders so that it could easily wrap itself around your neck might not be a good idea...
“And that’s when his friend quickly escorted him to the bathroom, grabbed the snake’s head and plunged it into the toilet water and held it there until the snake let go.”.. Oh wait.. That didn’t happen.
You said what I was thinking. I’m very petite but a boa is a constrictor so there should have been time but maybe they were outside somewhere and not near a weapon or knife. What the heck do I know?
All I can say is I would have tried like mad to help my friend.
That really creeped me out; obviously some of the efforts I would imagine a person could use to remove the snake would be counteracted by such actions on the part of the snake.
Why do people all think they are Jungle Larry or Steve Irwin, and look how he died?
LOL.
I think a nice pair of cowboy boots would be appropriate,
That was friggin’ hilarious!
Alternatives to killing the reptile when it won't let go.
©1996 Melissa Kaplan
I wrote and mailed this letter off to the local law enforcement, fire, animal regulation and humane societies in the aftermath of yet another news story about a case of a snake whose head was cut off because the individuals responding to the emergency call had no clue as to what to do. Needless to say, if the owners had a clue, they likely wouldn't have been bitten in the first place...
August 22, 1996
Dear Emergency Responder,
This morning's news again brought to light an incident where emergency responders inappropriately dealt with a snake bite situation by cutting off the snake's head with a hacksaw.
Snakes have recurved teeth. They cannot be pulled off or pried off. Hitting and punching them will not make them loosen their hold. Trying to wedge your fingers into the corners of their mouth (as one would to a cat or dog to get them to open) will only result in the responder getting pricked with the rearmost teeth. If anything, such actions will result in the snakes clenching their jaws yet more tightly while intensifying their hold on the person.
Cutting their heads off is senseless. Reptiles can be easily encouraged to release their bite by pouring a small amount of alcohol into their mouths. To ensure the safety of the snake, responder, and the person being bitten, the snake's head should be pointed downwards. This will ensure that the liquid does not spill into their open glottis (airway) and so get aspirated into their lung(s). If this were to happen, an immediate effect may be renewed panic or thrashing on the part of the snake; a late effect would be a respiratory infection.
Ideally, alcohol made for drinking (liquor) should be used rather than isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol. Rubbing alcohol is toxic. Vinegar has worked in some instances and can be tried first if no liquor is handy. It does not take much alcohol to effect the release. Generally speaking, the snake will noticeably pause in all movement for a few moments after the alcohol is poured onto the tissues inside the mouth (pouring it on the head or body does not work). It will then move to disengage its teeth (most snakes have two nested rows of teeth in the upper jaw) by working its jaws, retracting its head from the bite zone once it is free. If you don't have any form of liquid alcohol handy, try ammonia, either liquid or in the little ammonia-soaked pads wrapped packets for use when people feel faint.
To easily unwrap a snake from any person or object, you must start working from the tail end, unwrapping or uncoiling the body, working your way up towards the head. If you start at the head and try to work towards the tail, the snake will easily be able to resist. Even a large, strong python who is not thrilled with all the commotion and multiple hands on it can be unwound when you start from the tail...
I was in a situation where a red-tailed Boa bit someone and it would NOT let go. We filled a bathtub part way, held the person’s arm under water and after nearly a minute or so, it let go.
Strangulation is a different scenario.. Unwrapping, starting at the tail is great advice. Most people would instinctively grab behind the head and start there, which is wrong.
That was quick thinking! Thanks for the info.
P.S. I hate snakes.
I’m reminded of a Las Vegas act?, where the guy on stage had a snake.. It began to strangle him and the audience started to chuckle, thinking his flailing was part of the act. Unfortunately, he died.
That scene is JACKED UP. LOL!
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