Rock python kills family's Husky[Florida]

WSVN ^ | 13 Sept 2013 | WSVN

[Theoria]

A dog owner is sharing his heartbreaking story after a python came out of nowhere and killed his dog in the backyard.

***WARNING*** The images for this story may be disturbing to some viewers ***WARNING***

Angel Bichara's son is still too traumatized to speak on camera about how he tried but failed to save the family dog, Duke, from the grip of a rock python in the backyard of their West Miami-Dade home. "He heard the dog barking and then he heard the dog crying, so when he walked outside, he saw the snake had grabbed on to the dog's nose area and had wrapped up," said Bichara.

Bichara's son first tried to pull the 10-foot snake off the 4-year-old, 60-pound Husky's neck with his bare hands. "So he grabbed it by his neck, and he was not able to move it because the snake was so strong he couldn't do anything," said Bichara. "So he grabbed the shovel, he hit it, and it didn't do anything. It just got the snake even more mad. It pissed him off. The snake even lunged at him and everything, but it never let go of the dog."

He then tried to cut the snake off with garden clippers, but at that point it was too late.

The family then called 911:

Operator: "Dade County Police and Fire, what is the address of your emergency?"

Bichara: "Hi, we have like a 6-foot python in our backyard that just killed our 90-pound dog."

The Bichara's believe the rock python might have come from nearby bushes in search of a meal.

[Salamander]

You MUST destroy the brain or the body will continue to function/constrict.

“Pithing” is the ONLY way to instantly kill a snake.

Anything else will leave it functioning, even if on a very basic level.

A head shot or a heavy rock are extreme forms of “pithing”.

[Salamander]

That puzzled me too.

My Bob the Boa is over 7 feet long and anything bigger than a large -dead- rat scares him silly and he retreats to his hide box.

I keep my dogs and snakes separate for the *snakes’* sakes, not the dogs.
Their size and fast movements horrify the snakes.

I’ll grant you, BCIs are kinda sissy but an AfRock is quite gutsy.

[S.O.S121.500]

dOES “in captivity” register a concept/idea over there??”?

Here, put your nose, tongue, and lips in the flame of a BIC.........what ya’ gonna’ do???

[S.O.S121.500]

I’ll grant you, BCIs are kinda sissy but an AfRock is quite gutsy.

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Sissy or not, the snakes ceases its behavior and leaves.....might prevent the suffocation of a prey/pet due to ‘death throes’ or reflexes etc. The snake disengages almost immediately and tries to avoid the flames around his most sensitive parts. For pit vipers, amphibians, and cobras try retreat, shovels, or garden hoes.

[Salamander]

“Disengaging” is the issue.

Recurved teeth prevent them from “immediately letting go” even if they desperately want to.

I would ~hope~ it would cause them to cease constricting fast enough to save the pet but I really don’t know.

Thankfully, I’ve never had to face this situation and in spite of having an insanely secure yard, my dogs are not allowed out unless I am there to watch over them.

Stuff happens and if my dogs came back inside in lame, sick or whatever, I’d want to know precisely *why* they did so to easier facilitate vet effective treatment.

I live in a Copperhead/Rattler area but they stay up on the ridges.

Hopefully, they always will.

[Loud Mime]

How about a butane torch?

[S.O.S121.500]

I live in a Copperhead/Rattler area but they stay up on the ridges.

Hopefully, they always will.

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I share your hope-——and I watch mine.........almost but not quite “helicoptering”. L

[pallmallman]

What are some of the venomous snakes down in south Fl that shouldn’t be here?

[Vinnie]

Black Mamba.

I hope not!

[SeminoleCounty]

Snakes hate alcohol, especially high proof in strong liquor. Pouring vodka or whiskey on the snake’s head (or preferably solvent-grade ethanol) would have made him let go and uncoil from the dog.

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Didn’t know this. Would this include rubbing alcohol, too...would not want to pour good stuff on a snake...

[BCR #226]

In captivity means snakes that are kept in enclosures. They are an observable group and more knowledge on snakes has been gleaned from these snakes than will ever be obtained in the wild.

But, there is similar evidence of like behavior in the wild as shown in forest fires too.

Snakes are very focused predators. More so than just about any mammal on earth.

[BCR #226]

Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.

One of the snakes we keep is so prey driven that it will ignore alcohol, water and listerine in the mouth. The only thing she’ll disengage for is vinegar. Thankfully, she’s just a Mexican Black King snake and can’t do much damage.

[BCR #226]

The facility in Florida that was destroyed in Andrew had well over 100,000 snakes of hundreds of species. I don’t think a full accounting of what was in there has ever been published but I know there were a lot of vipers from around the world. Reports of eye lash vipers and other arboreal species not native to this hemisphere are out there.

[KirbDog]

The facility in Florida that was destroyed in Andrew had well over 100,000 snakes of hundreds of species. I don’t think a full accounting of what was in there has ever been published but I know there were a lot of vipers from around the world. Reports of eye lash vipers and other arboreal species not native to this hemisphere are out there.

I'm sorry but I fail to see any reason why we would even allow some of these snakes into the country. Can somebody explain the reasoning behind them being here. As far as the constrictors go just declare open season on them and kill them all. I mean I see shows where they go out and catch the snake and then take it away. Why just kill the thing no good can come from it being allowed to live.

[pallmallman]

Oh man...aren’t here some cobras down there?

[the OlLine Rebel]

So sad.

No axe? No machete?

BTW, as an aside, I have to ask. How did we go from 6’ and 90# to 10’ and 60#?

[Olog-hai]

AFAICS, rubbing alcohol has the double effect of making the snake let go and possibly killing the snake. When you’re dealing with a non-pet snake, that may be the desired result.

[BCR #226]

The facility has been called a breeding facility but that was only a small part of their existence. Their mainstay was research in reptiles and milking snakes for anti venom and for research into cures for disease.

Constrictors are not evil monsters. Do they need to be controlled in the Everglades? Yes. Will they? Nope. Snakes by nature are very secluded and secretive animals. They don't go looking for trouble and are usually out only when hunting or looking for a mate. Most attacks by constrictors are actually defensive in nature. They are usually aggressed upon first.

Something else to remember, large snakes do not eat much. As in, they will usually eat only a dozen times a year, maybe 2 dozen at the most. All the hype about the giant snakes wiping out the other species in the Everglades is pure BS. For them to have done that, the population would have to be insanely massive. It isn't even close to that. Not to mention there has been a decline in the numbers of native species in the Everglades since long before the boids arrived.

I understand the fear that these animals can conjure up. Much of that is driven by myth and media inaccuracies. Saying that killing them because no good can come from it living is very close minded and ignorant. I don't say that as an insult but understand, these animals have abilities and traits that we still do not understand that could benefit us in ways we can't comprehend.

Snakes are able to control their metabolism unlike any other animal on earth. They can slow it or speed it up to suit their needs. It's amazing to see a 20 pound snake not eat for a year and not lose a single gram of weight.

I used to not really care about snakes at all. Then my daughter wanted one for her birthday and I, being a good parent, researched the hell out of the topic before letting her have one. Now, we have about 30 snakes of different species including pythons and boas. I've found that snakes are very curious animals and are reasonably intelligent for being reptiles. They remember and they learn. Having snakes in our home has helped to teach my daughter the importance of respoonsibility, not to be afraid of things like snakes, to learn before judging, and a sense of compassion that most children her age do not possess.

Don't believe the media garbage about snakes. 99% of it is myth and lies. Research the truth about them before you judge them. I would suggest you watch some videos on youtube. Do a youtube search on Snakebytes TV and watch and learn. You might be surprised at what you learn.

A couple pics of my daughter with snakes...

[BCR #226]

A 6 foot snake at 90 pounds will look like a giant football. Even the heavier boids at 6 feet are only around 20 pounds. At 10 feet, around 40 pounds.

This is an example of media hype and fear mongering. With that being said, a 6 foot snake at 20 pounds is an incredibly strong animal and is fully capable of defending itself against many predators... including dogs and people.

They should be respected as a wild animal and not messed with if you run across a large boid in the wild. In most places in the US, you run across one, and it’s almost guaranteed to be a recent escaped pet. That means it’ll be used to people and is quite a bit safer to come in contact with vs. a wild bred snake.

Florida is probably the only exception to this rule being that it’s the only place in CONUS that can support a wild population of these snakes.

[Resolute Conservative]

Like we do with feral hogs here in Texas.