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AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN (Texas) 09 November 07 Police free girl from pet python’s grip (Robert Quigley)
A pet ball python wrapped around a 17-year-old girl’s arm at her Northwest Austin apartment and squeezed tightly for nearly an hour this morning, but both the girl and the snake are safe, police say.
Austin police spokesman Richard Stresing said the girl’s father called 911 at 5:55 a.m. saying the juvenile python, which Stresing said was 2-to 3-feet long and “about as big around as an officer’s nightstick,” had bitten his daughter’s arm and had been wrapped tightly around her arm for 20 minutes.
Stresing said the girl, who is the snake’s owner, kept the reptile in an aquarium in her bedroom. The python had gotten free in the middle of the night, Stresing said, and when she tried to retrieve the snake, it struck and grabbed onto her.
Stresing said EMS was also on the scene at the 10100 block of West Parmer Lane, but it was a police officer who wasn’t afraid of snakes who first attempted to pull the snake free.
“Every time he tried to uncoil the snake, it bit harder and wrapped more tightly,” said Stressing, who once owned a constrictor himself. “The snake was probably just scared. It’s not like it was trying to eat her.”
Officers were able to remove the snake from her arm by 6:20 a.m. using ammonia caplets, Stresing said. The girl refused treatment by EMS, Stresing said.
Stresing said there are Austin officers who are certified at handling snakes, and the department is looking to train more.
“We just had a call go out for a class on handling snakes,” Stresing said with a laugh. “Now, we’re saying, ‘Hey, we do need officers for handling snakes.’ “

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/blotter/entries/2007/11/09/police_free_girl_from_pet_pyth.html

KVUE (Austin, Texas) 09 November 07 Python's owner defends her pet (Jessica Vess)
An Austin teenager is attacked at home by a pet python after it escaped from its cage overnight.
"She's a real fun loving snake. She's never been one to hurt anyone,” said Melodi Wells, the snake’s owner.
However Friday morning Kyra, the ball python, got out of her aquarium cage and started slithering around.
"My alarm clock goes off and I go to go hit it and all I feel is like something scratching me and at first I thought it was my cat,” said Wells.
It wasn’t Melodi’s pet cat, it was Kyra. The snake was latching on to Melodi's hand and it wasn't long before Kyra started to coil up and squeeze.
"I was kind of panicking ... at first I wasn't really because I thought she was just going to let go soon, but once she started getting tighter and tighter I started panicking," said Wells
Melodi called out for help; her mother called EMS.
"All I remember is there's like seven big guys in my room, I'm in my pajamas with my hand with a snake wrapped around it, in the tank just freaking out," said Wells.
The emergency crews didn't know how to handle the situation at first -
"I'm just sitting there in my pajamas just like 'Oh, my gosh, what's going on are they going to get it off? Is my hand going to fall off?" said Wells.
It took an hour before the aroma of ammonia in smelling salts did the trick and Kyra loosened her grip on Melodi's hand.
"I felt a lot of pressure right here, my hand started stinging, it started hurting. I could feel her fangs in my bone pretty much. It was a lot of pain, but after a while my whole hand turned numb," said Melodi.
This was the first time Kyra had ever attacked
"She's gotten out before, but she's never like snuck up in my bed or anything like that at night. So it just kind of surprised me, but I don't believe her it was just reaction. All you hear is a loud alarm and something fast moving you're going to go and strike for it, if you're a snake," said Wells.
Snake experts say it's not unusual for a snake like Kyra to react that way.
Dave Moellendorf from the Zoo Keeper exotic pet store says Kyra probably thought she had food.
Melodi says despite the attack she still loves Kyra and plans on keeping her, but modifying the tank so it won't be so easy for Kyra to get out again.
Python's owner defends her pet