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...
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
posted by Kevin Blumenthal - Blumen Boas at
6:20 AM
2 Comments:
I've been looking all over for this!
Thanks.
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