We have "them" in Oz too...

[RodKirby]

Have a close look at the guy - really looks the part

http://optuszoo.news.ninemsn.com.au/...es&_cobr=optus

BTW 5 meters = about 16-1/2 feet!

[gsmittle]

Have a close look at the guy - really looks the part

http://optuszoo.news.ninemsn.com.au/...es&_cobr=optus

BTW 5 meters = about 16-1/2 feet!

Is it me, or does anybody else think small yappy dogs should be eaten?

g.

[Stytooner]

Is it me, or does anybody else think small yappy dogs should be eaten?

g.

Uh oh. Lots of pet lovers out there. The Python was no exception, but for a different reason.
Lots of people keep Pythons as well. I snake sat one for a while when it's owner had to leave town. I was also sitting for a rabbit, but when the owner returned, there was just the snake. He bought rabbits to feed the snake.
They are no different than any other predator. They gotta eat. Sorry it had to be someone's valued family pet though.

[Uncle Cracker]

As one who owns a carpet python (actually, "Ms. Baby" is a carpet/diamond hybrid) I gotta tell you that is one big carpet python! Never seen one even close to that one in size... Hate to see somebody's pet buy the farm, but a snake can't tell one food-sized animal from another. Like Lee says, snakes gotta eat, too. (Ms. Baby dines on one large rat, at 5-to-10-day intervals, depending on season.) Folks living in python country need to keep bigger dogs as pets.

[kirkroy]

Apologies in advance for the snake lovers but is it illegal to kill the snake? I'm having trouble figuring out why they just threw chairs... If it was my dog the snake would be dead.

[os1kne]

I agree with Kirkroy. The family had lost a cat and a guinea pig in the past month to hungry snakes, now their dog. They need to either get a gun or move. Throwing lawn chairs just isn't effective.

[gsmittle]

Uh oh. Lots of pet lovers out there. The Python was no exception, but for a different reason.
Lots of people keep Pythons as well. I snake sat one for a while when it's owner had to leave town. I was also sitting for a rabbit, but when the owner returned, there was just the snake. He bought rabbits to feed the snake.
They are no different than any other predator. They gotta eat. Sorry it had to be someone's valued family pet though.

My apologies to the pet lovers out there. I was trying to make a joke at 2AM and it didn't work. My comment was in poor taste.

Right now I'm at home with the flu. Woopee.

g.

[Uncle Cracker]

You guys need to think this through a little better. Wiping out indigenous wildlife is destructive on many levels. People should be at least equally as concerned that they are out of place in wildlife habitat as they are that the wildlife is an inconvenience to them. The animals are just doing what they evolved to do. It's the people who are the feral invaders. Kill the predators, and you will be overrun by rodents and other critters that will no longer have any natural enemies. If you are in critter country, you can no more keep from finding a snake on your porch than you can keep the sun from rising. That rat-sized dog is not a pet, it's bait. Get used to it.

[RodKirby]

You guys need to think this through a little better. Wiping out indigenous wildlife is destructive on many levels. People should be at least equally as concerned that they are out of place in wildlife habitat as they are that the wildlife is an inconvenience to them. The animals are just doing what they evolved to do. It's the people who are the feral invaders. Kill the predators, and you will be overrun by rodents and other critters that will no longer have any natural enemies. If you are in critter country, you can no more keep from finding a snake on your porch than you can keep the sun from rising. That rat-sized dog is not a pet, it's bait. Get used to it.

I'm with you on this.

[Bruce Cohen]

Here in suburban NY, we're starting to have some "problems" with Coyotes, A few small dogs and cats have been eaten. Although the deer population is totally out of hand. I read that there are more deer now than there was 150 years ago due to the lack of natural predators .

It makes sense that Coyotes shouldn't be shot down, I'd much rather see them feed on deer than all the deer road kill we have here.

BTW, I don't hunt, any animals.

Bruce

[os1kne]

I didn't mean to suggest that indiginous wildlife should be indiscriminitely wiped out.

I was only suggesting that if one is going to let their small pets roam where there is known to be a large number of large snakes, they should be better prepared to defend their pet if they care to keep it alive.

The dog owner certainly shouldn't be shocked that such a thing could happen - after losing two animals to snakes in the previous month, he should be charged for cruelty to animals just for putting his dog in that environment.

[Uncle Cracker]

Exactly. It is a much more responsible act to keep your pet out of harm's way or avoid having one that will be a tempting morsel, than to stand guard over it while you let it wander outside. A 16-foot snake is going to need some cover, so put your dog on a leash and avoid such areas. And then bring it in once it's done it's business.

[Crash2510]

I agree that nothing should be done to this snake really brings home the old saying

don't advertise if it is not for sale

that dog was just to tempting for the snake people should have kept a better eye on it

Sad they lost a family pet hope they get a bigger dog or keep a better eye on it

guinea pig come on perfect snake food

Here in suburban NY, we're starting to have some "problems" with Coyotes, A few small dogs and cats have been eaten. Although the deer population is totally out of hand. I read that there are more deer now than there was 150 years ago due to the lack of natural predators .

It makes sense that Coyotes shouldn't be shot down, I'd much rather see them feed on deer than all the deer road kill we have here.

BTW, I don't hunt, any animals.

Bruce

Bruce I think that the problem is that predators that would really make a difference have been driven out.

what this deer explosion needs is an infusion of wolves because the non-native coyotes will never keep up.

Coyotes are a non-native species to states like ohio and ny and need to be kept in check by hunting because the wolves are not their to do the job

I don't hunt coyotes ,but have seen the havoc they have caused on native species like rabbits around here they are only good for eating the dead deer not killing many of them

[kirkroy]

Exactly. It is a much more responsible act to keep your pet out of harm's way or avoid having one that will be a tempting morsel, than to stand guard over it while you let it wander outside. A 16-foot snake is going to need some cover, so put your dog on a leash and avoid such areas. And then bring it in once it's done it's business.

I can agree on this and we don't have pets that stay outside, even without any significant predators likely to be around (although bears, mountain lions and coyotes can be seen not too far away). Nonetheless, once the snake is eating my dog I'd still kill the snake rather than throwing chairs at it. At that point I'm not thinking of maintaining the ecosystem.

What about allowing your kids to watch as their beloved dog gets swallowed? This just seems like a very weird situation with some folks that, to me, lack common sense (before, during and after having their dog eaten).

[Uncle Cracker]

Nonetheless, once the snake is eating my dog I'd still kill the snake rather than throwing chairs at it.

By that time, it's too late for your dog. It's already dead. Constrictors do not swallow live animals.