Big Snakes

A news item I found earlier this week, describing how a man in Cincinnati had been strangled by his 13-foot pet boa constrictor, elicited some comments and reminiscences from the crew here.

Steve:
A thirteen- footer can kill you and it doesn't even have to be aggressive.When I was at the zoo we didn't let people-- keepers-- handle anything above ten feet alone. You could get them over your shoulders like a yoke and then if anything startled them... not long before the pressure on the arteries inyour neck renders you unconscious

My old acquaintance Danny McCarron's 15- foot Burmese python would STALK people when it was hungry, especially at night. It had reinforced glass inits huge custom tank so it wouldn't come out through the front at you. Of course a mature 15- footer weighs a lot more than two tenners. Just because it couldn't eat you doesn't mean it wouldn't try. Scary.

Matt:
Our animal trainer friend, Steve, used to keep a 9-foot burmese that was a very nice snake but scary for all the obvious reasons. One of the many nights I ferried Steve around to various shows (animal trainers are paid less well than writers), I woke in the hotel to find the snake in bed with me. It had worked its way out of the custom carry bag (handles for 4 people to carry) and slipped beneath the covers. I don't even want to think about what I might have dreamed before waking.

The same snake got loose again and ate another friend's two baby great horned owls. Ooops!

Reid:
I just stay away from big snakes