The Blumen Boas Blog: July 2009

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

The Burmese Python tragedy in Florida

Well, to continue from my previous post, I have a few problems with the "story" of how a 2-year old girl was killed by a Burmese Python.

If you listen to the 9-1-1 call that was placed by Charles J. Darnell (the owner of the Burmese Python), he says that "Our "STUPID" snake got out in the middle of the night and strangled the baby" (I would beg to differ as to which one is smarter, Mr. Darnell or the snake...but I digress). He continues to say that "We have a Burmese python, she's about 12 feet long, got out of the cage last night and strangled the baby to death". [The snake was later measured and determined to only be 8 1/2 feet]. Continuing, he says "I'm going to kill the bitch". It truly is a gut wrenching call on many levels.

So, here are my problems with the 9-1-1 call. Why did he instantly think the child is dead? If it was my child, I would be performing CPR until the paramedics arrived and if I didn't know CPR I would attempt SOMETHING or ask what to do! According to this report the 9-1-1 call came in a little before 10:00am on Wednesday, July 1st, after Mr. Darnell discovered the little girl dead. I don't think I can remember EVER sleeping in until 10:00am when my daughter was 2 years old. Also, according to this report there were two older children in the house as well. WOW, the mother, Mr. Darnell, and 3 kids all asleep until 10:00 in the morning in the middle of the week?!? A 2-year old and 2 other kids NOT waking up before 10:00am wanting to be fed, have a diaper changed, wanting to play, etc.?? That sure is a quiet house!

According to this report, the 8 1/2 foot Burmese Python weighed 15 to 20 pounds, yet Mr. Darnell was not able to remove the snake from around the girl and had to go and get a 6-inch knife AND a meat cleaver!?!? As you can tell from the pictures in my previous blog post, Mr. Darnell is a large man, and the python was quite small. I would think it would be relatively easy for Mr. Darnell to uncoil the snake from the little girl, especially if he had started at the tail and went "backwards". I just don't think that the Burmese python was so strong that Mr. Darnell couldn't remove it without going to the extreme measure of "stabbing" the snake. Now, I don't know about you, but I am not about to stab a knife or a MEAT CLEAVER anywhere near my daughter that's for sure, let alone stab at a snake that is so small that I might miss and hit the girl instead! You can tell from the picture of the python in my previous post that it only has two, maybe three cuts. So, are we supposed to believe that Mr. Darnell stabbed the python once or twice with the knife (or meat cleaver), the snake wouldn't let go, so he had to drop that tool and use another?? Then he had to stab it with a meat cleaver (or knife) all the while NOT STABBING or hitting the little girl??? You can see in the picture below that the cuts appear on the python near its head, where the snake is maybe 2 or 3 inches in diameter. Those are some pretty darn good stabs to be able to hit a snake but yet not injure (or be concerned you will injure) the little girl at the same time....

Then there is the problem of a warrant needing to be issued. According to this report, the authorities had to wait for a warrant to be issued before entering the home! If it was me, and my daughter was just killed by my pet, I would say come on in and remove the snake at once! At the very least, put the snake in a bag and hand it over to the authorities. Instead, they had to wait until 4:45pm to go in and remove the python. Maybe Mr. Darnell didn't want the authorities to discover a small amount of marijuana that they found. Since Mr. Darnell was arrested in May on numerous drug charges I guess police officers aren't his best friends either, even in a time of tragedy.

The same report says that the Department of Children and Families had investigated several complaints that involved the family over the past year. I'm not saying foul play was involved in this tragedy, I just hope that this case of a death of an innocent young life is fully investigated. I would hate to think that people would just jump to conclusions just because there is a snake in the house and things might "appear" to be an accident. It makes such a good story that a "huge terrifying snake" killed a little girl...I just find all the things that I have listed above about this story as a little "fishy"....

I hate the fact that Mr. Darnell's carelessness and stupidity is casting a bad light on the rest of the responsible boid owners that take the time and money to properly care for their animals. So far, Mr. Darnell faces a maximum fine of $500 and/or 60 days in jail for not having a permit for his Burmese python. Additionally, Mr. Darnell and/or the mother could face criminal charges for child neglect or endangerment. I really hope they throw the book at Mr. Darnell for his stupidity, and the mom should be charged for allowing this animal to be unsecured around her child (of course, she might have not known any better...). The preliminary results of the autopsy report, pending toxicology tests, have come back saying that the little girl died of asphyxia.

This tragedy is so sad on many different levels, and may that little girl rest in peace.

Labels: Burmese Python tragedy, Charles Darnell, Florida, Jaren Hare, Python Death, python kills, Shaianna Hare, Sumter County Florida

Charles J. Darnell

So, who is Charles J. Darnell you ask? Well, he is the "brainiac" who basically is responsible for the legislation that is about to go before the House of Representatives. He is the gentleman pictured below (courtesy of Associated Press):

His obviously SEVERELY underfed Burmese Python escaped from its "glass case", which didn't have a lock on it as required by Florida law, and killed his girlfriends' 2-year old daughter. He also didn't have a permit for the python which also is required by Florida law. The permit is only $100, and could have possibly saved the little girl's life. The permit could have saved her life because this moron would have had to answer a questionnaire along with filling out the permit. Some of the questions on the questionnaire ask if you know the common and scientific names for the animal, how large will the animal get when is is an adult, how much does the animal eat as an adult, and most importantly what food is available to feed the animal while in captivity. I think this last question is extremely important - a well fed Burmese python will not be on the "hunt" looking for food. A snake will constantly try to get out of a cage especially if it is in need of food, it is breeding season, or it just wants to get out of its environment. They are escape artists, which is why a well secured and/or locked cage is a must, especially around small children. Maybe if Mr. Darnell didn't know the answers to the questions on the questionnaire, he might have researched to find out the answers!
A small child could easily let "snakey" out of his cage thinking it is a play toy if there isn't a lock of some sort on the cage. There always needs to be adult supervision when a child is handling a large boid, no matter how "friendly" the boid is or has been in the past. With a cage that doesn't lock, you never can be sure that a child will not get "snakey" out when you are not around. I know this should be common sense, especially to those that read my blog, but it is apparent that Mr. Darnell lacked common sense.

Here is a picture of the Burmese Python belonging to Mr. Darnell that was removed from the house (only after a search warrant was issued!!!).

Compare the picture above of Mr. Darnell's Burmese to this picture of a couple Burmese Pythons that are approximately the same length (courtesy of Wikipedia):

There is just a little bit of difference in body fat between the 2 pictures wouldn't you say?!? A Burmese generally needs a higher feeding frequency or larger prey than a "typical" boid because it grows at such a quick rate. A Burmese has a larger body which requires larger prey as well (here is some excellent information on Burmese Pythons from New England Reptile (NERD) which outlines their proper care). Unlike a boa constrictor, a Burmese Python will easily reach 10 feet within 3 years of age and weigh 40+ pounds! A female Burmese python will eventually attain a length of around 20+ feet, and weigh upwards of 200+ pounds. On the other hand, a female Boa Constrictor Imperator will usually not get much longer than 8 feet, and if properly fed an 8-foot boa would weigh around 35-40 pounds. According to this report, Mr. Darnell's 8 1/2 foot Burmese Python only weighed 15 to 20 pounds!! By comparison, Samy, my 8-foot female Boa Constrictor, weighs in at 38 pounds. You can tell from the pictures of Samy that she looks much different that the frail and neglected snake that was removed from Mr. Darnell's home. I have Samy housed in a 7-foot cage (not an aquarium) which is always locked. While I don't have small kids in the house, I do have a miniature dachshund. When I take Samy out to stretch and exercise, I ensure that there is no way that the dog could come in contact with Samy. I also make sure that Samy's cage is locked because I have no desire to be on the evening news because my "missing" boa is found down the street....
I feel sorry for Mr. Darnell. He made quite a few mistakes in my opinion, because apparently he didn't know how to properly care for a Burmese Python. By the looks of it, he didn't keep the snake well fed, definitely didn't have the proper permits for the boid, and most certainly didn't have it housed properly ESPECIALLY when there is a small child in the house. If you can't afford the proper cage for a snake (or any reptile for that matter), then you shouldn't have it. A cage that locked would have meant that this would have never happened. It's unfortunate that this man, and more importantly the little girls mother, has to live with this tragedy for the rest of their lives. It could have been easily avoided, but as they say hindsight is 20-20.

Because of the INACTION'S of Mr. Darnell (and the mother trusting this idiot to have a large, unsecured boid around her small child), this tragedy is causing people and politicians to look at ALL reptile owners as a bunch of idiots that don't know how to properly house and take care of their animals.

In my next blog post, I will have some thoughts on the "story" itself...

Labels: Burmese Python tragedy, Charles Darnell, Jaren Hare, Python Death, python kills, Shaianna Hare, Sumter County Florida

Proposed Bill to be amended

Here's the latest from USARK - thanks to everyone who called and/or faxed to voice their opinion!

UPDATE: HR2811 Amendment
House Judiciary Committee Staff and bill Sponsors agrees with USARK position to limit the scope of HR2811 with a proposal for an amendment. All but two pythons will be completely exempted from the bill. The exception will be the IMPORT of the Burmese Python and the African Rock Python. Further, Committee staff has committed to work with USARK over the August legislative break to craft language to allow the commercial trade in captive bred Burmese Pythons and African Rock Pythons to continue. This is a huge victory for USARK and the Reptile Nation!
For the last two days, while the Reptile nation was making their calls, USARK was involved in intense discussions with the Sponsors of HR2811 and House Judiciary Committee Staff, not to destroy the Reptile Industry with their bill. Yesterday morning we suggested to Congressman Kendrick Meek and Congressman Tom Rooney that the bill be amended to address ONLY the IMPORT of the Burmese Python and exempt all the other pythons from this legislation. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) caught wind of what we were doing and began to apply pressure to leave the bill "as is", banning all pythons.
Today we coordinated a conference call to discuss the possibility of amending HR2811 instead of banning all pythons. Present were Rep Meek's staff, Rep Rooney's staff, both minority & majority Committee staff, bill proponent HSUS and USARK. HSUS made a very emotionally charged argument to ban all pythons. Their argument was strong on rhetoric and weak on facts and science. HSUS suggested that any bill going forward must include the Burmese Python, African Rock Python and Reticulated Python. They stated that the Reticulated Python was an Invasive Species that could surpass the Burmese Python. Andrew Wyatt of USARK challenged that statement indicating that HSUS could not produce credible scientific evidence to support their position, and that in more than 30 years of captivity in the US Reticulated Pythons have never been shown to be invasive; or even likely to be invasive. Wyatt also voiced concerns that this bill goes far beyond just stopping the import of these animals, but would also stop interstate transport. HSUS challenged that assertion, but Todd Willens of Vitello Consulting (USARK DC Consultant) confirmed Wyatt's concerns reading directly from the Lacy Act. Wyatt indicated that there was probably more than 100,000 Burmese Pythons already in captivity and HR2811 made no provision for what would happen to all these very valuable animals that would become worthless overnight. Frank Vitello of Vitello Consulting pointed out that there was already a science based process of evaluation to determine what animals should be placed on the Injurious Wildlife list of the Lacy Act. He pointed out that what HSUS was suggesting was to avoid a scientific evaluation in favor of legislating science.
Following the meeting USARK was contacted and told of an agreement by committee staff to create an amendment that would limit the bill to the IMPORT of the Burmese and African Rock Pythons. Committee staff committed to work through the August break to work on how to create an exemption for the captive trade in the Burmese and African Rock Pythons. During the July 29th markup of the Full Committee we are told that Congressman Rooney will introduce the following amendment to HR2811:
AMENDMENT TO H.R. 2811OFFERED BY MR. ROONEY OF FLORIDABeginning in line 6, strike ‘‘; of the constrictor snake of the species Python genera’’ and insert ‘‘; of the Burmese Python of the species Python molurusbivittatus; of the African Rock Python of the species Python sebae’’.
If we are successful in saving the Python industry there will still be a few "armchair quarterbacks" that will criticize our efforts. There is no guarantee that the amendment will be passed, but USARK has done everything possible, and will continue to pursue every avenue to protect the Reptile Industry. This bill is politically driven and is going to move forward with or without amendment. We are encouraged that the amendment was crafted by both majority and minority staff, thus it should send a positive signal to both Democrat and Republican Committee Members. We are hopeful the amendment passes. In either case we will continue to work with the bill sponsors and committee staff to further amend the bill before it reaches the House floor for a vote. We are appreciative that Congressmen Meek and Rooney, and the majority and minority committee staff favored our recommended changes and have committed to continue working with USARK as the bill moves through the legislative process.
USARK is also pleased to report that it has secured a meeting with the office of Senator Bill Nelson during August recess to discuss modifications to the Senate counterpart to HR2811, S373.

Labels: Proposed Legislation

Monday, July 27, 2009

Update on HR2811

This was emailed from USARK tonight - please call tomorrow (Tuesday) if you haven't called yet. It looks like they might amend the bill to be ONLY for Burmese pythons instead of ALL pythons.

Not Enough Calls- Keep Calling Tomorrow!
We need many more calls for the CALL CAMPAIGN OPPOSING HR2811 organized by USARK. We saw many email lists forwarding our phone and fax campaign all around the Reptile Nation. Kingsnake.com, ReptileRadio and many others helped spread the word, but today's turn out was less than stellar. Our work is not done. Please continue to call all day tomorrow. A link to the remainder of the list of House Judiciary Committee Members is below. Call everyone. If you have not contacted the key members indicated by USARK please do that first. Most members are not very aware of HR2811.
We have been in communication with the offices of Congressman Kendrick Meek and Congressman Tom Rooney since early this morning. They want to amend HR2811. Originally they agreed to the USARK proposal on an amendment. It has since become unclear the direction this proposed amendment might take. Tomorrow there will be a subcommittee mark up. There will be no amendment allowed tomorrow, but we will find out what the proposal for amendment will be. If it is out of line with what we have proposed we will fight it. It is possible that an amendment will be introduced on Wednesday during the full House Judiciary Committee mark up.
Make your phone calls... send your faxes. If you want to be successful we will have to do much better than today. We are potentially facing the end of the python trade. What are you personally prepared to do to stop that from happening? The people that do nothing will have themselves to blame if this bill goes south. Don't sit around and procrastinate and later wish you had done your part. Tomorrow is your last chance to have an impact on an amendment. Make your phone calls... send your faxes!!!

Labels: Proposed Legislation

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Wackos in Washington

Well, because of the stupidity of one irresponsible owner of a Burmese python, some of our fearless Congressmen and Congresswomen are trying to get a bill passed that will ban ALL pythons! Here is the email that was sent out from USARK (United States Association of Reptile Keepers) today:

DANGER: Python Ban Goes to Committee
HR2811 (House version of S373) Sponsored by Congressman Kendrick Meek (D-FL), will go to Mark-up (amendment) in a subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday the 28th, and then to the full committee on Wednesday the 29th. This bill has been called the Python BAN. If passed as written, it will BAN the IMPORT, EXPORT and INTERSTATE TRANSPORT of the entire genus python. Once it passes Mark-up it will go to a vote on the floor of the full House of Representatives. Anyone who doesn't believe that this is an immediate threat to the entire Reptile Community has their head in the sand. If the Reptile Nation does not wake up and take massive and decisive action right now we could lose ALL pythons.
USARK has worked hard and spent a lot of money to make sure the Reptile Nation has the best information available regarding the fate of our community. We make our positions clear and operate with complete transparency. We have no conflicts of interest. Our only allegiance is to the Reptile Nation. We are asking you to TAKE ACTION NOW to save this industry. No one else can do this for us. We hold our fate in our own hands. That is why we created USARK, to take control of our own destiny.
We have the best lobbyists, contacts and strategy to address the situation. This is not the time to panic or get angry. It is time for calm deliberate action. We need to engage in a massive phone and fax campaign on Monday the 27th. Get everyone you know to call. Spread the word to every forum and social networking site you frequent.
Sponsor and Key Members:
Congressman Kendrick Meek (D-FL), SponsorWashington DC: phone 202-225-4506; fax 202-226-0777Miami: phone 305-690-5905; fax 305-690-5951
Congressman Tom Rooney (R-FL)Washington DC: phone 202-225-5792; fax 202-225-3132Punta Gorda: phone 941-575-9101; fax 941-575-9103
Congressman Robert Wexler (D-FL)Washington DC: phone 202-225-3001; fax 202-225-5974Boca Raton: phone 561-988-6302; fax 561-988-6423
Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL)Washington DC: phone 202-225-7931; fax 202-226-2052Pembroke Pines: phone 954-437-3936; fax 954-437-4776
Congressman John Conyers (D-MI) Committee ChairWashington DC: phone 202-225-5126; fax 202-225-0072Detroit: phone 313-961-5670; fax 313-226-2085EMAIL: john.conyers@mail.house.gov
Congressman Lamar Smith (R-TX) Ranking MemberWashington DC: phone 202-225-4236; fax 202-225-8628San Antonio: phone 210-821-5024; fax 210-821-5947
Congressman Howard L. Berman (D-CA)Washington DC: phone 202-225-4695; fax 202-225-3196Van Nuys: phone 818-994-7200; fax 818-994-1050
Congressman Rick Boucher (D-VA)Washington DC: phone 202-225-3861; fax 202-225-0442
Congressman Howard Coble (R-NC)Washington DC: phone 202-225-3065; fax 202-225-8611Greensboro: phone 336-333-5005; fax: 336-333-5048
Congressman Randy Forbes (R-VA)Washington DC: phone 202-225-6365; fax 202-226-1170Chesapeake: 757-382-0080; fax 757-382-0780
Congressman Trent Franks (R-AZ)Washington DC: phone 202-225-4576; fax: 202-225-6328 Glendale: phone 623-776-7911; fax: 623-776-7832
Congressman Elton Gallegly (R-CA)Washington DC: phone 202-225-5811; fax 202-225-1100Thousand Oaks: phone 805-497-2224; Toll Free: (800) 423-0023; fax 805-497-0039
Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY)Washington DC: phone 202-225-5635New York: phone 212-367-7350

CALL, CALL, CALL!!! Our Future Depends On It! Make an avalanche of calls and bury HR2811!

SCRIPT: My name is...... I want to register a NO on HR2811. If passed as written this bill will destroy thousands of Florida voters, their families and small businesses. There is not a shred of scientific evidence to support banning all of the different species in the genus python. Please amend the bill to address only the IMPORT of the Burmese Python. Thank you for your consideration.

So, please help by calling all of the above numbers first thing on Monday. If you have access to a FAX machine, fax them as well! Also, if you haven't already become a member of USARK, do so today! They really lookout for bills such as this that try to sneak through, and they have the back of "herpers" both big and small! I became a Silver member in April, and I definitely think it was money well spent.

It's sad that people can't think for themselves and actually have the COMMON SENSE to know how to properly care for an animal. Florida has procedures and requirements in place for people that choose to have large boids for pets. Unfortunately, this moron didn't want to follow the rules and now he has to live with himself for what his animal did (I will leave it at that for now.....).

We apparantly need to have Congress and the Senate think for us, and put the rest of the issues the nation is facing on the back burner....The economy, unemployment, health care, our troops being deployed for FAR too long, are apparantly just not THAT important. I sure am happy to see my HARD EARNED tax dollars being well spent on issues that need to be addressed immediately....One idiot IS NOT representative of the thousands and thousands of boid owners that properly take care of and house reptiles safely and securely daily and for years without one issue!

I have done enough rambling - please be sure to do your part and call the phone numbers listed above on Monday and voice your opinion, I know I will be.

Labels: HR2811, Proposed Legislation, Python ban, S373

Friday, July 3, 2009

My quick idea for a Law & Order Episode

Although inspired in part by a true incident, the following story is fictional and does not depict any actual person or event.

In New York City's war on crime, the worst criminal offenders are pursued by the detectives of the Major Case Squad. These are their stories. (Queue music - DUM DUM).
A man accidentally kills his girlfriends very young daughter. To cover up the death, he takes a dead rat and rubs it on the dead girl to put the smell of the rat on the girl. He then releases his pet python and waits for it to attack the dead girl. Once it has attacked and squeezed her enough, he then takes his knife and stabs the snake to make it look like he HAD to stab it to get it to release its "death grip" on the girl. He then makes a tearful call to 9-1-1 to say that he discovered his snake wrapped around the girl. The cops and the coroner automatically think that since there are bite marks on the girl and she was squeezed that the man's story must be true. He cleverly covers up the death and gets away with murder.

Queue music - DUM DUM....
The above story, although inspired in part by a true incident, is fictional and does not depict any actual person or event.

Labels: Burmese Python tragedy, Charles Darnell, Jaren Hare, Python Death, python kills, Shaianna Hare, Sumter County Florida

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