Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Wes Note: Please notice the subtle change in facts - probably just a typo - between these two items. It just goes to prove; when dealing with press and herp-related matters, try to get two or more sources to get a real picture of what is going on. Cheers, Wes

SENTINEL & ENTERPRISE (Fitchburg, Massachusetts) 16 August 05 Python bites Fitchburg man (J.J. Huggins)
Fitchburg: An 11-foot-long python sank its fangs into a local man's hand Monday night, requiring a quick intervention from rescue workers.
The 50-pound Burmese python is a pet at 179 Myrtle Ave.
It first wrapped around the victim, then bit him and didn't back off until firefighters shot the slithering reptile with a carbon dioxide extinguisher around 6:15 p.m., according to police Sgt. Glenn C. Fossa.
Dep. Fire Chief James Belliveau identified the victim as Keith Chartrand, and said firefighters found him inside the home with the snake.
"He was screaming, 'Get it off me,'" Belliveau said.
The snake backed off after receiving the blast from the extinguisher, Belliveau said.
Chartrand did not suffer any serious injuries as a result of the bite. He refused to be taken to the hospital after medics bandaged his bloody hand, according to Belliveau.
The snake was placed inside a cage, and taken away by police.
Officer Michael J. Sevigny told Chartrand, as well as the crowd that gathered outside the home, the snake would be held at the police station while an animal control officer decides what to do with it.
Chartrand told the officer he didn't want the snake back.
Police held the snake in protective custody while waiting for a company called Rainforest Reptiles to pick it up, according to Fossa.
Fossa said police decided to remove the animal from the home because there are children living there.
"It probably could do a lot more damage to a child, they (the officers) did the right thing," Fossa said.
Chartrand refused to comment at the scene, but did volunteer that he doesn't live at 179 Myrtle Ave. and that the snake is not his.
Pythons are not poisonous. The snakes kill their prey by constricting around them and choking them to death, according to Belliveau.
Belliveau said the python incident was a new experience for him.
"That's the first time that I can remember that I've had a call like that," he said.
http://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/archives/ci_2946569

WJAR (Cranston, Rhode Island) 16 August 05 Pet Snake Puts Squeeze On Owner - Python Bites Man
Fitchburg, Mass.: Rescue workers stepped in to free a Massachusetts man from the clutches of a 7-foot-long snake.
Police said the 20-pound Burmese python wrapped itself around Keith Chartrand, of Fitchburg, on Monday, and then bit him.
The snake didn't back off until firefighters sprayed it with a fire extinguisher.
"It was my fault. It was," Chartrand said. "Snakes are not bad reptiles to own. They're not. You just got to keep them happy, and do what it says in books."
Chartrand did not suffer any serious injuries as a result of the bite, but he did tell police he did not want the snake back.
http://www.turnto10.com/news/4859765/detail.html?rss=pro&psp=news#

a certain 49 foot 975 pound retic in Indonesia? Not quite as large an exaggeration but I would say that for most of us, getting bit and wrapped by a 7 foot burm would be much nicer than an 11 footer...

SENTINEL AND ENTERPRISE (Fitchburg, Massachusetts) 17 August 05 Bad experience with pet leaves Fitchburg owner snake-bitten (J.J. Huggins)
Fitchburg: Keith Chartrand has vowed not to buy another large snake after his 7-foot Burmese python, Pandora, bit into his hand Monday night.
"Just no more big ones," Chartrand, 29, said while holding his 3-foot ball python, Zealous, during an interview at his home at 179 Myrtle Ave., Tuesday afternoon.
Neither snake is poisonous, and Chartrand was not seriously injured during the attack.
Chartrand and his fiancé, Gloria Mickey, 37, are both animal lovers. They want people to know pythons are not dangerous, as long as people handle them properly.
Chartrand said Pandora was lounging in the bathroom after eating her weekly meal -- a 2-pound rat -- when the snake turned on him.
"I just fed it about 20 minutes ago and I was trying to put her back in the cage," Chartrand said.
Mickey, who sat in on Tuesday's interview, pointed out Chartrand tried to move the snake too soon.
She said snake owners have to take snakes out of their cages to feed them, and they are supposed to wait about an hour after the animal eats to put it back in the cage.
If they move the snake too soon, like Chartrand did, the snake will think it's being fed again, and may try to bite the person, Mickey said.
Pandora sank its fangs into Chartrand's hand and did not let go for 25 minutes, prompting Mickey's daughter to call 911.
"I was nervous the snake was going to snap my thumb," Chartrand said. "I felt the tooth hit my bone."
The slivering reptile wrapped itself around Chartrand's arm and bit his right hand.
Mickey's brother tried to pry the snake's mouth open with a screwdriver, but that only made the snake bite harder, Chartrand said.
Firefighters soon arrived and shot the snake with a carbon dioxide fire extinguisher, which delivered a cold blast that shocked the snake and made it retreat, according to Deputy Fire Chief James Belliveau.
Chartrand said he did not feel frightened during the attack.
"If it wrapped around my neck, I would have been more nervous," he said.
Chartrand now has a bite marks on his hand and blisters on his forearm from the fire extinguisher.
He did not have to go the hospital after the incident. He said the wounds are like any other cut, as long as he keeps them clean, he doesn't have to worry about infection.
Chartrand received the snake from Mickey as an early Father's Day present in May. He said the snake is less than a year old.
Police Officer Michael J. Sevigny took the snake to the police station after the attack, and Chartrand did not want it back because the incident scared his 8-year-old son, Chartrand said.
Michael Ralbovsky, a Herpetologist -- a person that studies reptiles -- and co-founder of Rain Forest Reptiles Shows, which is based in Beverly, picked the snake up at the police station Monday night.
The company came to Massachusetts from Florida in 1993, and has six full-time employees who conduct educational shows around the country, Ralbovsky said.
Ralbovsky said the snake was doing well Tuesday.
"It's just fine," he said during a telephone interview. "The animal is alert and eating today, he ate a rat this morning."
Ralbovsky said the snake will be displayed in the company's shows.
"In a very fun atmosphere, we're going to tell the story about the animal, and why it bit the guy," Ralbovsky said.
Burmese pythons are not illegal, but some larger pythons, such as anacondas, are.
Ralbovsky said all poisonous snakes are illegal in Massachusetts.
Ralbovsky said he would try to deter children from buying a large snake, such as Pandora. He said people should gain experience with smaller snakes first before graduating to the big ones.
"These big pythons can be unpredictable at times," he said. "You really have to know the animal and know what to do if it does bite you."
Bad experience with pet leaves Fitchburg owner snake-bitten

This is a perfect example of why not to feed outside of the enclosure. I have said it over and over again but eventually something bad will happen by using this feeding method. Now imagine what would happen if the snake would have been 11' or maybe 18'. THe end of the story could have been a lot worse. So to all you keepers that continue to feed outside the enclosure. Please reconsider your practices before a tragedy accurs that threatens all of our hobby. Thank you, Todd

DAMM FINE POST TODD.

I too have tried to tell people that feeding out of the cage is not a good idea, now when asked "what could happen?", I can just send them here.

and I totally agree. It is one thing to feed cornsnakes and milksnakes (which is what I keep) outside their enclosures, and a totally different thing with a HUGE snake.
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phflame

"Burmese Pythons are not illegal, but some larger pythons such as ANACONDA'S are"

That's a new one in my book. I didn't know that anaconda's were classified as pythons?

Hmm, somehow I dont think this exotic animal show is going to be any better of a place for the animal.....sheesh.

Chris

LOL, unfortunately Chris, people that don't study or simply don't like snakes don't know the difference. The words 'boa' and 'python' are interchangeble. If it's over 7-8 feet long it's whatever word comes outta their mouth first . Not funny I know, but that's your general public for ya.

Quig

"If it's over 7-8 feet long it's whatever word comes outta their mouth first."

Don't you mean over 7-8 feet OR 11-12 feet depending on which reporters mathmatical units you are using?
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Bryan, Atlanta GA

1-0-0 Ball Python - Apep
0-1-0 Mountain Horned Dragon - Ki
0-0-1 Aggressive Bearded Dragon - Zeus
1-1-0 Rats... no wait... ROTTEN Little Cats - Ra, Bastet
0-1-0 Little Angelic Kitten - Isis
1-0-0 Horse... whoops... BIG Golden Retriever - Jake
0-1-0 Wife
2-0-0 Kids