Gang of youths force python to bite teenager
• Attack described by police as racially aggravated
• Cat swallowed by snake in separate incident
Martin Wainwright
guardian.co.uk, Sunday 9 August 2009 16.44 BST
A teenager is recovering after a gang of youths wielding pet snakes pinned him to a wall and forced a python to bite him on the hand.
The incident, described as racially aggravated by police in Bristol, caused only minor wounds from the non-venomous reptile, but left the 14-year-old hyperventilating from shock.
It happened five miles from another Bristol suburb where a tabby cat was swallowed by a neighbour's 13ft pet python and identified only by a scan of its identity microchip inside a large bulge in the snake.
Both episodes prompted calls for tighter regulation of the sale and ownership conditions applying to pythons, which can be bought for about £100. The owner of the cat-swallowing snake, Darren Bishop, was given a written warning by the RSPCA about allowing it to roam free in his garden.
Police spent today questioning the boy bitten by the 4ft python at Bradley Stoke. He was treated at Frenchay hospital in Bristol after paramedics had shown him pictures of snakes on a mobile phone. Michael Howells, an incident support officer for Great Western ambulance service, said: "In order to try and identify the type of snake, I Googled 'snakes' to show the patient.
"He was reasonably sure he could identify the type, so I sent the image to our control room."
The service's duty control manager Oliver Tovey, who took the email, said: "We contacted Bristol Zoo to talk to their snake expert. They indicated that it was probably a type of python – so not venomous."
Howells said that the group of youths had apparently been carrying several snakes and had chosen the python for the assault. He said: "The patient was suffering breathing difficulties after the attack, probably due to panic rather than a reaction to the bite. I would probably be panicky if that happened to me."
The attack was witnessed by a nine-year-old boy who had been out playing with the victim. He said that the snake had wrapped itself round his friend's arm before biting. His father, who did not want to be identified, said: "My son was absolutely terrified and I want to know where these young kids got these dangerous snakes from in the first place."
The tabby killed by the other python let out "blood-chilling cries" as it was swallowed alive, according to its owners, Martin and Helen Wadey, of Brislington. They ran to get help but could not get into the garden and the python's owner was out at the time.
The remains of four-year-old Wilbur were identified two days later by the RSPCA scan. Bishop did not wish to comment.
The Wadeys have set up a website called Justice for Wilbur which calls for a "Wilbur's amendment" to the Dangerous and Wild Animals Act.
A spokeswoman for the RSPCA said that the written warning to Bishop specified appropriate housing and care equipment for the snake. She said: "All too often, people who take on an exotic animal as a pet are not fully aware of its needs and requirements."
• Attack described by police as racially aggravated
• Cat swallowed by snake in separate incident
Martin Wainwright
guardian.co.uk, Sunday 9 August 2009 16.44 BST
A teenager is recovering after a gang of youths wielding pet snakes pinned him to a wall and forced a python to bite him on the hand.
The incident, described as racially aggravated by police in Bristol, caused only minor wounds from the non-venomous reptile, but left the 14-year-old hyperventilating from shock.
It happened five miles from another Bristol suburb where a tabby cat was swallowed by a neighbour's 13ft pet python and identified only by a scan of its identity microchip inside a large bulge in the snake.
Both episodes prompted calls for tighter regulation of the sale and ownership conditions applying to pythons, which can be bought for about £100. The owner of the cat-swallowing snake, Darren Bishop, was given a written warning by the RSPCA about allowing it to roam free in his garden.
Police spent today questioning the boy bitten by the 4ft python at Bradley Stoke. He was treated at Frenchay hospital in Bristol after paramedics had shown him pictures of snakes on a mobile phone. Michael Howells, an incident support officer for Great Western ambulance service, said: "In order to try and identify the type of snake, I Googled 'snakes' to show the patient.
"He was reasonably sure he could identify the type, so I sent the image to our control room."
The service's duty control manager Oliver Tovey, who took the email, said: "We contacted Bristol Zoo to talk to their snake expert. They indicated that it was probably a type of python – so not venomous."
Howells said that the group of youths had apparently been carrying several snakes and had chosen the python for the assault. He said: "The patient was suffering breathing difficulties after the attack, probably due to panic rather than a reaction to the bite. I would probably be panicky if that happened to me."
The attack was witnessed by a nine-year-old boy who had been out playing with the victim. He said that the snake had wrapped itself round his friend's arm before biting. His father, who did not want to be identified, said: "My son was absolutely terrified and I want to know where these young kids got these dangerous snakes from in the first place."
The tabby killed by the other python let out "blood-chilling cries" as it was swallowed alive, according to its owners, Martin and Helen Wadey, of Brislington. They ran to get help but could not get into the garden and the python's owner was out at the time.
The remains of four-year-old Wilbur were identified two days later by the RSPCA scan. Bishop did not wish to comment.
The Wadeys have set up a website called Justice for Wilbur which calls for a "Wilbur's amendment" to the Dangerous and Wild Animals Act.
A spokeswoman for the RSPCA said that the written warning to Bishop specified appropriate housing and care equipment for the snake. She said: "All too often, people who take on an exotic animal as a pet are not fully aware of its needs and requirements."
