A family in Florida, USA immediately called the rescue team when they discovered a rock python in their backyard. This hideous animal was tightly wrapped around their beloved dog named Duke.
Five minutes later, the rescue team showed up, but Duke was dead. Many people speculate the python may have come from the Tamiami Trail or Krome Avenue area, located southeast of Miami, which is home to many species of pythons and giant snakes.
The shocked homeowner recounted the moment he saw the python appear in the garden: “I have never seen anything so horrible in my 10 years living in this area.”
“When he discovered this monster was trying to squeeze the family dog, my son was about to use his bare hands to fight the python and save Duke but it was too big and terrible. Then my son ran. went to the warehouse to get a lawn mower, it tried to cut the python in half, but the machine didn’t work,” the woman choked.
The California Wildlife Conservation Society said it was more likely that this was a wild rock python than it was raised in the vicinity. “It’s worth noting that rock pythons don’t usually attack other species unless provoked. So keep an eye on small children and keep an eye on family pets,” the association’s representative warned.
This incident comes a month after the tragic deaths of two young children in early August in the town of Campbellton, New Brunswick, Canada. Connor (6 years old) and Noah Barthe (4 years old) were killed by a python illegally raised in a pet store while the two children were sleeping.
The more than 4m long African python kept in a pet store glass cage on the first floor had somehow made its way through the air vent to the upper floor. The ceiling board could not support the weight of the giant python, it fell into the room where the two children were sleeping.
This accident touched tens of millions of Canadians and spread around the world. Canadian authorities on August 8 cremated the python and announced that its owner could be prosecuted for not having a license to keep and trade this terrifying animal.
The cause of the deaths of the two children is still the subject of debate among experts. Many of them claim that although the African rock python is dangerous due to its ability to kill large prey, it usually does not attack humans. The last accident was recorded in 2002 when a 10-year-old boy living in the city of Durban (South Africa) was killed and swallowed by a python.
Johan Marais, a leading expert on African rock pythons, said this python when hunting often bites its prey (its jaw has between 100 and 120 curved teeth like ivory) before curling up making it suffocating and soft. mushy for easy swallowing.