# Escaped python kills 2 kids - something doesn't feel right here. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 6, 2013, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaped-python-kills-2-kids-something-doesnt-feel-right-here/665511 "2013-08-06T18:35:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaped-python-kills-2-kids-something-doesnt-feel-right-here/665511/121 "2013-08-08T19:57:26Z")
Is it possible the scene was horrific, obviously the snake, but the police aren’t getting into those details out of respect for the family? Crazy theory but, if the children had been drugged, might the snake have killed them and then changed its mind because the prey tasted funny? ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaped-python-kills-2-kids-something-doesnt-feel-right-here/665511/122 "2013-08-08T20:09:21Z")
Could be that acoustic tile stuff. A snake could burst out of that pretty quietly. > [@](#): > > Crazy theory but, if the children had been drugged, might the snake have killed them and then changed its mind because the prey tasted funny? Seems unlikely to me. ---
**Author:** ![CannyDan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cannydan/32/548_2.png) [@CannyDan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CannyDan)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaped-python-kills-2-kids-something-doesnt-feel-right-here/665511/123 "2013-08-08T20:11:26Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Is it possible the scene was horrific, obviously the snake, but the police aren’t getting into those details out of respect for the family? > > Crazy theory but, if the children had been drugged, might the snake have killed them and then changed its mind because the prey tasted funny? Many things are possible, though unlikely. As for the smell, it would have been obvious to the snake during killing, not just after death. And I doubt anything short of really noxious substances would be a deterrent. But drugged kids or drunken kids would explain lack of resistance and perhaps lack of screaming sufficient to wake everyone nearby. That’s why I mentioned autopsy results “including toxicology” back in post 72. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaped-python-kills-2-kids-something-doesnt-feel-right-here/665511/124 "2013-08-08T20:13:46Z")
A bit of an [update](http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/autopsy-report-on-the-death-of-two-children-in-campbellton-new-brunswick/article13636297/): > [@](#): > > “We still have … to get the complete final report, but right now the way that those two boys died is consistent with being attacked by a snake of that size,” said Sergeant Alain Tremblay. He told The Globe and Mail that the RCMP are waiting for the results of further tests. He said the pathologist has also taken tissue and blood samples to determine whether “the kids were breathing normally before they passed away.” ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaped-python-kills-2-kids-something-doesnt-feel-right-here/665511/125 "2013-08-08T20:17:03Z")
According to HowStuffWorks, which is _probably_ not the definitive word on snakes, [they do not have a sense of taste](http://science.howstuffworks.com/zoology/reptiles-amphibians/snake1.htm). ---
**Author:** ![JFLuvly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ac91a4/32.png) [@JFLuvly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JFLuvly)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaped-python-kills-2-kids-something-doesnt-feel-right-here/665511/126 "2013-08-08T20:26:00Z")
I am yet to read anywhere that the snake constricted. Is it not possible that the snake merely coiled up on top of them and they suffocated? I’m pretty sure if you laid a one hundred pound bag of potatoes on a small childs head and chest they would have a hard time getting it off and any screams would be muffled. I pretty sure I have read about cats sitting on a babies face while the baby is sleeping and suffocating the child. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaped-python-kills-2-kids-something-doesnt-feel-right-here/665511/127 "2013-08-08T22:09:10Z")
> [@Soylent\_Juicy](#): > > It’s still a shame that the first thing they did was “euthanize” the snake. That’s routinely done when an animal kills or seriously injuries a person. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaped-python-kills-2-kids-something-doesnt-feel-right-here/665511/128 "2013-08-08T22:33:12Z")
ralph124c: > [@](#): > > Gaboon Viper (possibly the most venomous snake) I thought the consensus was that the taipan is the most venomous snake in the world. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_I\_Am](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@Sam\_I\_Am](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_I_Am)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaped-python-kills-2-kids-something-doesnt-feel-right-here/665511/129 "2013-08-08T22:47:04Z")
> [@Dingbang](#): > > Regarding the speculation about how a big snake could fall through the ceiling, attack two boys and they don’t scream, and the adult male doesn’t hear any commotion at all: Makes me wonder if the adult was passed out drunk and didn’t hear anything for that reason. Not meaning to cast aspersions on the guy, who may be a complete teetotaler for all I know, but it could answer some questions. > > Under that scenario, the snake could enter the room, the boys could either scream briefly at the first bite or scream for an hour and the adult doesn’t wake up. As for how it could continue on to the second boy, I don’t think it’s uncommon for kids that age to get so scared that they just freeze, cover their faces, cower in the corner and hope the scary thing goes away. That’s why firefighters find children hiding under the bed when the house is on fire. > > Nothing but speculation, but fuck, what a horrible scenario… no matter what the truth turns out to be. I was in a hotel one night with my then 4-year-old daughter. A fire alarm went off in the middle of the night, which was a truly earsplitting sound. She did not wake up. Not from the noise, not from me snatching her up and taking her outside. Kids can sleep very deeply. I’ve also seen both kids fall out of bed and not wake up. Granted it’s not the same as a physical injury occurring during sleep, but perhaps it’s possible that they didn’t wake until they weren’t in a position to scream. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaped-python-kills-2-kids-something-doesnt-feel-right-here/665511/130 "2013-08-09T00:07:04Z")
> [@dracoi](#): > > Rock pythons, Burmese pythons and anacondas all grow large enough to be a real threat to people. And if you just had to keep one, it’s best to avoid the first and third, that have notoriously shitty temperaments. Burmese pythons by contrast are _usually_ pretty docile. Still wouldn’t own one, especially if I had a kid, but I’ve known a couple folks that did and they were manageable. Rock pythons I’d stay well away from. > [@cmkeller](#): > > I thought the consensus was that the taipan is the most venomous snake in the world. There is no real consensus that I can tell, just a handful of candidates with varying claims to infamy. Gaboon vipers have ridiculously long fangs with truly massive venom glands, all the better to inject copious amounts of a moderately toxic venom. Taipans are definitely more toxic by LD50, but neither species have killed very many people at all. Meanwhile seemingly less well-known species like the Russell’s Viper probably kill thousands every year. ---
**Author:** ![madrabbitwoman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c37758/32.png) [@madrabbitwoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madrabbitwoman)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaped-python-kills-2-kids-something-doesnt-feel-right-here/665511/131 "2013-08-09T08:16:36Z")
> [@Hermitian](#): > > Pah! My kid can’t sleep through me walking into her room quietly. I guess all kids are different - My anecdote: When I was 8 or so I slept through a violent storm, a tree falling outside my bedroom, a branch coming though my window, the branch being removed from the window and plastic going up and then only woke up at dawn when my dad fired up the chainsaw. Apparently I had legendary sleeping abilities and snakey could have had his way no problemo. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaped-python-kills-2-kids-something-doesnt-feel-right-here/665511/132 "2013-08-09T10:17:39Z")
I say we leave the matter up to the scales of justice. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaped-python-kills-2-kids-something-doesnt-feel-right-here/665511/133 "2013-08-09T13:03:09Z")
> [@Ximenean](#): > > I say we leave the matter up to the scales of justice. It might shed some light on the situation ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaped-python-kills-2-kids-something-doesnt-feel-right-here/665511/134 "2013-08-09T13:14:50Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > That’s routinely done when an animal kills or seriously injuries a person. But we have not yet determined that an animal did kill or injure anyone – just that police say it _looks to them_ like that happened. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaped-python-kills-2-kids-something-doesnt-feel-right-here/665511/135 "2013-08-09T13:26:00Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > And if you just had to keep one, it’s best to avoid the first and third, that have notoriously shitty temperaments. Burmese pythons by contrast are _usually_ pretty docile. Still wouldn’t own one, especially if I had a kid, but I’ve known a couple folks that did and they were manageable. Rock pythons I’d stay well away from. It’ll be interesting to see given the noteriety of this case what effect it has on the current popularity of African Rock pythons. Sentiments can be surprising sometimes and while I’d expect them to fall out of favor it well could go the opposite way and they become in vogue for awhile. If anyone monitors availability and price and sees a trend going one way or another I hope they’ll report back what they see. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaped-python-kills-2-kids-something-doesnt-feel-right-here/665511/136 "2013-08-09T13:43:18Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > It’ll be interesting to see given the noteriety of this case what effect it has on the current popularity of African Rock pythons. Sentiments can be surprising sometimes and while I’d expect them to fall out of favor it well could go the opposite way and they become in vogue for awhile. If anyone monitors availability and price and sees a trend going one way or another I hope they’ll report back what they see. **lieu** , I don’t know how to monitor this, but I believe that there will be people who will seek rock pythons as pets now so they can say “This is the kind of snake that killed those kids.” ---
**Author:** ![CannyDan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cannydan/32/548_2.png) [@CannyDan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CannyDan)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaped-python-kills-2-kids-something-doesnt-feel-right-here/665511/137 "2013-08-09T14:24:56Z")
> [@Crotalus](#): > > **lieu** , I don’t know how to monitor this, but I believe that there will be people who will seek rock pythons as pets now so they can say “This is the kind of snake that killed those kids.” Sadly, I can imagine exactly that happening. The macho mystique of giant snakes surely contributed to the popularity of Burmese pythons in the 90’s. But it won’t be happening (much, anyway) in Florida. The seven giant snake species including the African are now “Conditional Species” here. ([Link](http://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/nonnatives/conditional-prohibited-species/conditional-reptiles/)) By the way, African Rock has been divided into two species, the Northern African python (_Python sebae_) and the Southern African python (_Python natalensis_. Conditional reptiles are not allowed to be acquired for personal possession. Reptile dealers, public exhibitors, and researchers can possess them under specific permit. People who may have possessed any of these in the past may surrender them “no questions asked” at Amnesty Days held by the wildlife agency, or directly to Conditional Species permit holders. I have been qualified to hold those permits, in order to facilitate surrenders as well as to accommodate wildlife agencies needing housing for those species, such as for pending court cases. Oh, and **Crotalus** , I _have_ been “angry” bitten by the additional species you missed. A 16 foot green anaconda smacked me on the side of my chest once. It left a bruise the size of a football that lasted for a couple of weeks. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaped-python-kills-2-kids-something-doesnt-feel-right-here/665511/138 "2013-08-09T14:28:33Z")
Wouldn’t even have to be macho or morbid, just simple name recognition. You go out python shopping, and there’s the Rock Pythons right next to Paper Pythons and Scissor Pythons. People are more likely to pick the one they’ve heard of, even if it’s not a conscious decision. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaped-python-kills-2-kids-something-doesnt-feel-right-here/665511/139 "2013-08-09T18:13:42Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > So you think it’s more likely that some guy kills his son’s friends who are sleeping over and tries to blame the snake? > > The crazy is strong in this thread. The crazy is strong in humans. ---
**Author:** ![LC\_Strawhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@LC\_Strawhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LC_Strawhouse)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaped-python-kills-2-kids-something-doesnt-feel-right-here/665511/140 "2013-08-10T00:57:28Z")
Good grief. Someone has a python in the house, a wild creature that is famed worldwide for being a highly efficient jungle predator, and people are dubious that it could have possibly been a danger to two little kids? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaped-python-kills-2-kids-something-doesnt-feel-right-here/665511.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaped-python-kills-2-kids-something-doesnt-feel-right-here/665511.md?page=8)