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SUN-SENTINEL (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) 10 October 05 Loose python devours 18-pound Siamese cat near Miami-Dade home (Alva James-Johnson)
It had only been two days since Elidia Rodríguez had seen her Siamese cat, Francis. So when a Burmese python showed up Sunday in a wooded area behind her house in northwest Miami-Dade, the 66-year-old woman thought nothing of it.
That was until her son, Andres, noticed a peculiar bulge in the python's belly.
"I'm sure there's a cat in there," he said later.
It's the latest python incident in South Florida, where exotic snakes are proliferating and swallowing pets and other creatures whole. A 13-foot python recently gulped down a 6-foot alligator until its stomach ruptured, alarming public officials and citizens. And for residents like Rodríguez, Sunday's incident heightened concern.
On Sunday morning, Rodríguez was walking her dogs when she encountered the snake, which was 10 to 12 feet long, her son said.
He said his mother called him to the scene because he had caught snakes on the property before. He said he was trying to capture it when he noticed the bulge. That's when he decided to call 911. The Miami-Dade Fire Rescue anti-venom unit arrived and bagged the python about 11 a.m.
"It was a pretty good size animal, and it wasn't friendly, either," said Capt. Al Cruz.
He said when he tried to grab the python, it tried several times to bite him. He said the snake had several rows of about 100 teeth and could have inflicted a significant wound.
"I figured it hasn't been a pet snake for some time now, especially with the temperament that it had," he said
Cruz said the bulge in the python's stomach was about 15 to 16 inches, and he suspected it was the 18-pound cat.
"It was a full-size pet," he said. "I even felt the legs in the stomach."
He said the python was taken to A.D. Barnes Park in Miami, where it is on exhibit.
Andres Rodríguez said the cat was about a year old, and his mother had received it from a friend. When he told her that he thought the python had eaten her pet, he said, her eyes welled with tears.
He was still trying to decide how to break the news to his 6-year-old daughter, Nicole, who lives in Tampa. He said she had become close to the animal,and would be heartbroken.
Cruz said the anti-venom unit sees about three to four pythons a year roaming the streets of Miami-Dade County. He said they could be found from Miami Beach to Cutler Ridge.
"They are pets that people have that get away, or people release them," he said. He said a reptile 10 to 12 feet long can kill an adult or child through strangulation, but most won't unless they're confronted.
"The big problem is probably with small pets," he said.
Rodríguez said he caught a python behind the house five years ago and kept it in a cage, but it eventually died. He said the family has other pets, and he fears a python could strike again. "These things, I think, should be completely outlawed," he said.
Loose python devours 18-pound Siamese cat near Miami-Dade home

In Dade County, as elsewhere, indoor cats stay alive longer.

Siamese cats meow too much. Very vocal. Except for this one.....
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1.1 Blackheaded pythons
1.1 Woma (Juvie female)
2.1 Aussie Olives
1.1 Timors
1.0 Angolan Juvie
1.1 Savu
1.1 Juvie Bloods
1.1 Juvie Balls
1.1 IJ Carpets
1.1 Coastal Carpets
1.2 MacLotts
1.1 Papuan Olives
0.1 Jungle Carpet
2.2 Scrubs (on breeding loan)

Siamese cats do not meow; they "talk". And yes, I agree that they are vocal. Mine sits on the other side of the windowed door to my herp room and "hollers" at the top of his lungs to be let in. Not happening.
Other times he "murmurs", and I can always count on him to loudly announce feeding times, the telephone ringing, a cat on the outside window ledge looking inside, the dog tipping over the trash can in the kitchen. . .you get the idea. He also sits and "converses" with me, which is very cool. He's not a snake, but I like him all the same, and hate to think of him being eaten by a python. Helluva' way to go.
rgds,
althea

>>In Dade County, as elsewhere, indoor cats stay alive longer.

I was thinking the same thing. This snake is getting all the publicity. What about the irresponsible cat owners? What about all those frisbee cats DOR? Evil cars!
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Sonya

Haven't we warned you about tampering with the structure of a chaotic system?
Mrs. Neutron

14 lbs is an awfully big Siamese.
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1.1 Blackheaded pythons
1.1 Woma (Juvie female)
2.1 Aussie Olives
1.1 Timors
1.0 Angolan Juvie
1.1 Savu
1.1 Juvie Bloods
1.1 Juvie Balls
1.1 IJ Carpets
1.1 Coastal Carpets
1.2 MacLotts
1.1 Papuan Olives
0.1 Jungle Carpet
2.2 Scrubs (on breeding loan)

MIAMI HERALD (Florida) 11 October 05 Gut-wrenching X-ray: Snake likely swallowed cat - A cat that disappeared two days ago from its Miami Gardens neighborhood was likely killed by a giant python, X-rays showed. (Luisa Yanez)
Evidence piled up Monday against a 12-foot Burmese python suspected of eating a beloved house cat: An X-ray revealed the bulge in the snake's gut is a small mammal, likely a feline.
''I'm 90 percent sure it's a cat -- a very large cat,'' said William Chavez, a veterinarian at the Bird and Exotic Wildlife Hospital near Dadeland Mall.
The python, now living in a Miami-Dade County park, was brought to Chavez's office for a closer look at the bulge in its belly.
''We could see inside the snake the skeletal remains of a large mammal that had retractable claws -- that's probably a cat,'' Chavez said, ruling out that it could be a possum or a raccoon.
The likely victim is a year-old, 15-pound male Siamese named after Hurricane Frances. The cat vanished over the weekend from his Miami Gardens home, just feet from where the slithering, bulging python was found Sunday.
Elidia Rodriguez, Frances' owner, called 911 to report the snake.
Capt. Al Cruz, head of the Miami-Dade fire-rescue antivenin unit, who helped remove the python, put two and two together about Rodriguez's missing cat and the snake's bulge.
''I feel so bad,'' said Rodriguez, who held out hope until Monday that a hungry Frances would walk through the door.
``He's gone. He would have come home by now if he could.''
Chavez said the X-ray also indicates the snake will take up to a month to digest its last meal.
``He won't eat again for a while.''
How Frances ended up in the python's death grip is a sad tale. An outdoor cat, he likely strolled near the python's strike zone or was attracted by its movement.
The python was found about five feet from the chain-link fence that separates Rodriguez's house in the 20900 block of Northwest 39th Avenue from a wooded area.
''Cats are usually very cautious, but the python got him,'' Chavez said.
The python has become a sort of celebrity reptile at A.D. Barnes Park at 3401 SW 72nd Ave., where it will live along with other reptiles in the park's Sense of Wonder Nature Center and Trail.
''He's getting a lot of attention,'' Cruz said. ``A few people have come to the park just to see him.''
The python has been given a name fitting its new status:
''We're calling him Hollywood,'' Cruz said.
Rodriguez was taken aback to learn that her cat's tragic end is on display for the public. But she's glad the python is out of her neighborhood.
'I keep thinking, `Could there be another snake back there in those woods?' '' Rodriguez said.

MIAMI HERALD (Florida) 11 October 05 Opinion: Who owned the python that may have eaten Frances?
Re the Oct. 10 article 12-foot python captured: I think it's bad reporting to show Frances as the python's last meal. The question is who owned this snake and let it go?
That irresponsible person should pay for a new cat and the time spent by the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue people trying to catch the reptile.
Bernardo Gutierrez, Miami
The article tells the story of how a male cat named Frances was swallowed by a 12-foot python. This is either a silly naming convention on the part of the cat's owners or sloppy writing not picked up by The Herald's editors.
Frances is a female spelling of the male name Francis. In either case, the failure of the writer to point out exactly what is up with this cat's name leads to an article that informs but does not edify.
My condolences to the owners whose pet was eaten by a snake that has no business in Florida.
Weldon Morgan, Miami
Editor's note: The Rodríguez family named its male cat after Hurricane Frances.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/opinion/12869945.htm
Gut-wrenching X-ray: Snake likely swallowed cat

I posted some suggestions of ways to help mend this problem in the burmese forums on two threads. As an owner of large constrictors living in so fla I feel threatened by the recent bad press snakes have been getting.

In my attempt to be proactive I have come across a captive care commission created by FWC, on which a respected member of the herp world sits. My qualms with this commission is that it is legislative in nature and doesnt focus on the hobbyists point of view regardless of who is on it. We do not necessarily need more laws to regulate our hobby however I do agree something needs to be done to curb the problems associated with large constrictors.

As a result of one of my other posts someone told me about the AFH, an organization of herpetoculturists who have issued documents regarding proper husbandry etc of these animals. In the last 3-4 years of perusing these forums I have not seen them mentioned at all nor their literature recalled.

The person who replied to the other thread stated that their documents have been used to influence legislation etc but I am not familiar enough to comment on that.

What I proposed was an organization of responsible reptile keepers. What the herp world needs right now is a credible organization to provide an educational message within the stories airing about GIANT KILLER PYTHONS.

This could be accomplished in one of two ways: 1)We could create a new organization and have local chapters, regional chapters, underneath a national umbrella group or 2) We could create the umbrella organization under which all existing herp organizations could become members of.

In the very recent past, I read an article in the Sun Sentinel, a south florida newspaper, stating the decline in local herpetological societies. They blamed this on the rise in the use of the internet. Members of the local herps society interviewed stated that individuals on these forums never meet each other and have no connection to each other personally.

I think we can all agree that these comments do have some merit, albeit very little. I see these comments and the recent events in FL, as an opportunity to merge the old ways of the local herp societies into a larger organization that would be seen as a credible authority on reptile husbandry and the hobby to the general public, the media, and the nation as a whole.

This organization gives us the opportunity to create membership standards etc. furthering our mission to establish a nationwide network of responsible keepers. This can only be a positive thing for all of us in the hobby.

I would really like to get this rolling and I have already gotten a few emails from some folks expressing interest. These are just my initial thoughts so if you are interested, please email me so we can begin to discuss. A credible organization would do our nationwide community a lot of good. I urge you all to forward me your thoughts.

Thanks,
Michael
mtragash@gmail.com
954-701-1044

P.S. This is not just for owners of large constrictors or venomous but rather for ALL REPTILE KEEPERS.
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Jon

Having spent 17 years in TV broadcasting, any sensationalist story is always jacked up and the truth is usually the first casualty. As we know, Burmese do not "blow up". Someone makes a statement and it takes on a life of it's own. Most people in the media don't know anything about pythons, and don't really care, unless it furthers their storyline.
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1.1 Blackheaded pythons
1.1 Woma (Juvie female)
2.1 Aussie Olives
1.1 Timors
1.0 Angolan Juvie
1.1 Savu
1.1 Juvie Bloods
1.1 Juvie Balls
1.1 IJ Carpets
1.1 Coastal Carpets
1.2 MacLotts
1.1 Papuan Olives
0.1 Jungle Carpet
2.2 Scrubs (on breeding loan)