By Chad Love

So here's a question for all the parents out there: Would you feel comfortable with your 10-year-old handling a fifteen-foot-long Burmese python? Well, these parents apparently didn't see a problem with it. At first. Hmmm, how goes that old saying about hindsight?

Check out the newscast on the story at wapt.com. 

Now, I love snakes and I'm all for introducing children to the mystery and wonder of the natural world in a hands-on way, just not with animals capable of eating them, and non-native animals at that. Here's a pretty good rule to follow: If you're going to do a reptile exhibit at a children's party and if you're going to let the children handle said reptiles, try to keep the reptiles smaller than the children. This helps prevents any unwanted and unexpected predator-prey confusion on the reptile's part. Fifteen-foot Burmese pythons? A bit much.

And besides, what's wrong with a bull snake, a king snake or any one of our beautiful and fascinating native snake species? Thanks to people who love to engage in some vaguely over-compensatory "my snake is bigger than than your snake" arms race, we now have literally thousands of giant, non-native constrictors roaming south Florida, eating everything in sight, causing ecological mayhem and producing new, albeit weird sporting opportunities http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/hunting/2010/02/dates-set-florida-py...

So my suggestion would be, if you really want to stoke your kids' imagination, and if nothing but a giant snake will do, don’t let him or her play around with one at a party (with all the obvious hazards that entails. See above). Just go to Florida and let your tyke hunt them instead. Killing a wild one beats hell out of getting mauled by a tame one any day...

Comments (7)

from mad_dog9999 wrote 2 years 31 weeks ago

Once bitten twice shy

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from mad_dog9999 wrote 2 years 31 weeks ago

Once bitten twice shy

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from huntnfishnut wrote 2 years 31 weeks ago

I bet a tiger would have been an even better idea...

Snake: "Get off me you dumb hairless rabbit"

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from jersey pig wrote 2 years 31 weeks ago

sometimes i think you should say out loud what you are going to do so when you listen to it you can hear if it sounds like a dumb idea.

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from JohnR wrote 2 years 31 weeks ago

All I can say is amen!

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from jamesti wrote 2 years 31 weeks ago

how many times must it be said. these are wild animals! call it a pet or domesticated or anything you want. it is and always will be wild. you can't take that out of them.
announcement:at the next company party, firearms will be provided for your kid's enjoyment. ammo is free as well!

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from santi armada wrote 2 years 26 weeks ago

I have a couple of rotweiller in my house..
but I always let my child play with them..
to make them fell in a familly..
I'm pretty sure they will not bite my child..
NEWS

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from huntnfishnut wrote 2 years 31 weeks ago

I bet a tiger would have been an even better idea...

Snake: "Get off me you dumb hairless rabbit"

+2 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from jersey pig wrote 2 years 31 weeks ago

sometimes i think you should say out loud what you are going to do so when you listen to it you can hear if it sounds like a dumb idea.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from JohnR wrote 2 years 31 weeks ago

All I can say is amen!

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from jamesti wrote 2 years 31 weeks ago

how many times must it be said. these are wild animals! call it a pet or domesticated or anything you want. it is and always will be wild. you can't take that out of them.
announcement:at the next company party, firearms will be provided for your kid's enjoyment. ammo is free as well!

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from mad_dog9999 wrote 2 years 31 weeks ago

Once bitten twice shy

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from mad_dog9999 wrote 2 years 31 weeks ago

Once bitten twice shy

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from santi armada wrote 2 years 26 weeks ago

I have a couple of rotweiller in my house..
but I always let my child play with them..
to make them fell in a familly..
I'm pretty sure they will not bite my child..
NEWS

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

Post a Comment

 

All submitted comments are subject to the rules set forth in our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.