Python Killed Two Boys While They Slept

A python that killed two boys in Canada strangled them to death while they slept. The 100-pound 14-foot-long snake escaped from the Reptile Ocean exotic pet store and zoo.

The African rock python apparently escaped from its enclosure in the shop. It eventually made its way through the ventilation system and into shop owner Jean-Claude Savoie’s apartment.

As reported by ABC News, two brothers, ages 5 and 7, were spending the night with Savoie. The boys were friends of the family, and often spent time with Savoie.

Savoie explains that the brothers were sleeping in his living room on Monday night. When he woke up the next morning, Savoie says that he found a “horrific scene.”

The distraught shop owner realized that his python killed the two boys. Pythons are not venomous. They are constrictor snakes, which wrap themselves around their prey. Pythons squeeze their prey until they stop breathing.

When the prey is dead, the snakes unhinged their jaws and swallow it whole. It is not clear whether the python attempted to eat the two boys, as they were likely too large to consume. However, it was apparent that they had been strangled to death.

Savoie explains that he had the snake for more than 10 years. While African rock python can be nervous, they usually do not attack humans.

John Kendrick, a snake specialist explains that the attack was “very unusual”:

“It’s very odd that one would go out and seek out a person. They don’t recognize us as food.”

Kendrick explains that snakes can sense, and seek out, sources of heat. He points out that the python may have simply been looking for something warm to hold onto. Kendrick says that the snake may not have intended to kill the children. However, its muscles are so powerful that it likely overpowered the boys.

As reported by Huffington Post, Reptile Ocean responded to the tragedy on their Facebook page. The Facebook profile was later taken down. However, the statement addressed critical comments posted about the incident.

The page administrator told the commentators that they should “be ashamed” of their comments. The administrator also expressed their “deepest sympathies” to the boys’ family.

The python that killed the two boys has sparked a local debate about exotic pets.

[Image via Wikipedia]