7' Python tries to eat owner!

[Analog]

BOSTON -- Police rescued a Boston woman from the jaws of her 7-foot Burmese python after the snake clamped onto her arm and started squeezing.

Wanda Nunes, 43, told the Boston Herald that her python Moma went for her arm shortly before she planned to feed her two rats Saturday morning.

"She must have smelled the rats because she reached back and lunged for my arm," Nunes said. "Before I knew it, she was all wrapped around me. ... Every time I tried to pry her off or move, she just got tighter around my leg."

Her 13-year-old son called police after trying, and failing, to pull the snake off his mother.

Two police officers were able to pry Moma off Nunes and put her back in her cage.

Nunes said the snake was part of the family, and she had no plans to get rid of her.

"The police wanted to put her down," she said. "But I begged them not to."


Text

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Meh - I had a larger python (a 10' Burmese) latch onto me once - it bit my hand and wrapped up my arm for about 15 minutes. I never felt I was in any real danger, though it was quite painful. I guess if it had been around my neck I would have had a problem, though.

 

[techfuzz]

Do python's have a row of small teeth or are they just gums?

techfuzz

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

They have fangs that are used to hold prey. They are like pins really - they hurt, and made me bleed, but the bite wounds healed overnight. They do have an anticoagulant in their saliva, so my hand bled for a long time (45 minutes or so).

 

[TekChik]

my sweet 'lil boa would never do that to me

-TekChik

 

[Azraele]

I saw a tv show on that sort of attack once. The snake smells their food and gets confused.

 

[ragazzo]

always keep a dagger/electric prod/pepper|mace spray/baton/etc handy when handling a snake that's bigger than you

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Here is an interesting story on the risks that can go along with owning a large constrictor (though this kind of incident is rare, and Burmese pythons are generally pretty even-tempered.