Snake eats family dog as kids watch!

[Josh]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/02...index.html

CNN Wrote:BRISBANE, Australia (AP) -- A 16-foot python stalked a family dog for days before swallowing the pet whole in front of horrified children in the Australian tropics, animal experts said Wednesday.
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A 16-foot python swallows a family's dog on Monday night in Kuranda, Australia.

The boy and girl, aged 5 and 7, watched as the scrub python devoured their silky terrier-Chihuahua crossbreed Monday at their home near Kuranda in Queensland state.

Stuart Douglas, owner of the Australian Venom Zoo in Kuranda, said scrub pythons typically eat wild animals such as wallabies, a smaller relative of the kangaroo, but sometimes turn to pets in urban areas.

"It actively stalked the dog for a number of days," Douglas said.

"The family that owned the dog had actually seen it in the dog's bed, which was a sign it was out to get it," he added.

"They should have called me then, but (the snake) got away and three or four days later, I was called and went around and removed it" after the dog had been killed, Douglas said.

By the time Douglas arrived, all that could be seen of the dog was its hind legs and tail.

The zoo manager, Todd Rose, said pythons squeeze their prey to death before swallowing it whole. The 5-year-old dog would have been suffocated within minutes. Video Watch snake handler show off dog-eating python »

"The lady who was there threw some plastic chairs at the snake, but you've got to remember that this is about 50 kilograms (110 pounds) of aggressive muscle," Rose said.
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Removing the half-swallowed dog could have harmed or even killed the python, Rose said, because dogs have sharp teeth and claws that could do the snake internal damage if it were wrenched out.

The snake was still digesting the dog at the zoo Wednesday. It will soon be moved to the bush, Douglas said.

This is almost as wild as the tortoise who started a housefire yesterday!

[Itort]

Not much different than coyotes eating house cats in my area.

[Josh]

we have coyotes where i live too but a 16ft python seems alien to me!

[wayne.bob]

CRAZY!!!!!!
he was just hungry. and why wouldn't you call someone when it was in the dogs bed days before?
i have watched a tv show that had a man eating snake.

[Chucky]

Well, this may seem cruel to some of you but if it would have been in my back yard, I would have killed it instantly. You may think this would be wrong but a snake that big could have killed one of the kids.

[Jacqui]

Makes you wonder about the mentality of some folks. Obviously they didn't care about the dog and what about the safety of their own children? Letting a snake of that size freely range in their home (or yard) was asking for trouble. Never really said did it where this happened..inside or out? When I think that small of a dog and the term dog bed, I think inside the house. Makes bad press for the snake. Fortunately this animal at least was not killed for being what it is and doing what comes naturally.

[Redfootedboxturtles]

We may have burmese pythons wild in our area... I caught a wild Tegu the other day