Escaped snake kills two children in New Brunswick

There is a lot of conflicting info bit the sad part is this is real.

http://m.usatoday.com/article/news/2619837

I agree, the initial story doesn't make a lot of sense, a snake large enough to kill a child traveled through the buildings ventilation system? Also seems unlikely that a snake could kill one child without disturbing the second child. But of course the media does not always get the story correct, at least initially....

dzoo said:

I agree, the initial story doesn't make a lot of sense, a snake large enough to kill a child traveled through the buildings ventilation system? Also seems unlikely that a snake could kill one child without disturbing the second child. But of course the media does not always get the story correct, at least initially....

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No, these kids were really killed by the African rock python.

Now I'm no expert on snakes in any way, shape or form, but that definitely seems like very rare behavior, correct? A large snake going through a ventilation system, and then constricting, not one, but two kids? Were they constricted at the same time, seing as the other was not awakened while the first was killed?

I didn't think that constricting was a defensive measure taken by large snakes, but again, I'm not any kind of expert. But searching through previous reprts of constrictors killing children, it always seems to be one child, and usually eaten, or attempted to be eaten:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2029884/Parents-12-years-jail-starving-foot-pet-python-kills-year-old-daughter.html
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2011/01/01/106054/snake-that-killed-florida-child.html#.UgDmfZLVCWE

Is this striking anyone else as very strange behavior for a snake?

Who has said it constricted them? These were small children. All it would take would be for the snake to coil on top of them and they would be incapable of any movement, let alone breathing.

You're correct, the articles that I have read mentioned the words "strangled" and "crushed", but I made the jump to constricted incorrectly, but I think it's easy to see how I got there.

Also, if the snake was just laying on top of them, I really don't see them dying from it. It was a 45kg snake, average size of a 7 year old boy is about half that, but with ir's weight distributed along it's 4 meter length, and over the two kids, it just sorta seems unlikely. They did say it fell from the ceiling though, so it could have fallen on their necks or something, making the weight do much more damage.

After re thinking it, I may just be underestimating the effect of the snake's weight. It would be like having 500lbs on top of my body, which would definitely do some damage. I still think I may possibly be able to wiggle out from underneath though. Who knows, they are doing the autopsy today, so more info should come out.

The autopsy is bring done in my city and I have a friend that works at the hospital who said he would pass any info on he could.

KORBIN5895 said:

The autopsy is bring done in my city and I have a friend that works at the hospital who said he would pass any info on he could.

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thank you Kevin, I am very interested to hear the results of the autopsy, I hope you will share what you can.

I just woke up and called him but didn't get an answer.

Still no word from my friend but saw this and figured I'd post it.

You have received a YouTube video! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWMXWkPoADE

I of course could be totally wrong but I'm thinking they were killed and snake planted. I can actually see that scenario much easier than a snake falling through a ceiling and it's immediate reaction being "food", Much less grabbing both children. Bites? Yeah.

The government of New Brunswick announced that the owner did not have any license or permit for the arp.

Also the dead boys family stayed at the house until midnight. They had also spent the previous day at a farm playing with the animals. This could have been the trigger if the boys hadn't bathed and were playing with the goats.

The snake weighed 45 kg.

Police: Python escaped cage inside apartment, not store

The African rock python that killed two young New Brunswick brothers escaped from its floor-to-ceiling glass cage in the apartment where the boys were sleeping, not from the exotic pet store below, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/usanow/2013/08/06/python-kills-two-boys/2623325/

some more text here to go along with that above, story from ABC news via yahoo
http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/python-killed-2-boys-kept-house-police-115742601.html?vp=1

"The python that strangled two young boys this week did not escape from the pet store below the apartment where the boys slept, as previously believed, but was a house pet kept inside the apartment where they were visiting friends, authorities in Canada said.

The 100-pound, 15-foot African rock python escaped from its enclosure in the apartment in the eastern Canadian town of Campbellton, where Noah Barthe, 4, and Connor Barthe, 6, were sound asleep Monday, Royal Mounted Police Sgt. Alain Tremblay said Tuesday.

"It was upstairs," Tremblay said at a news conference Tuesday evening. "[It] never got out of the store."

Reptile Ocean Inc. owner Jean-Claude Savoie had initially told the Global News television station that he had no idea how the snake escaped from the pet store.

"I thought [the snakes] were sleeping until I [saw] the hole in the ceiling. I turned the lights on and I [saw] this horrific scene," said Savoie, who caught the python in his living room, pinned it down and put it in a cage. "It's ridiculous. I can't believe this is real."

The python wrapped itself around the boys and constricted them, according to the preliminary investigation. Autopsies were scheduled for the two victims today to determine the official cause of death.

The exotic snake was captured in the same room where the boys were found. It has been killed by a veterinarian, police said in a statement, and a necropsy will be conducted to help determine what might have prompted the attack.

Tremblay told The Associated Press that police were looking at whether the store's owner, who lives in the apartment above and was the boys' father's best friend, followed the province's regulations on exotic animals.

Store owner Savoie said he didn't hear a thing, and came in to find the scene, officials said. He had owned the python for 10 years.

"It's a criminal investigation," Tremblay said. "We're going to look at all avenues."

Authorities arrived at the apartment shortly after 6:30 a.m. Monday, where the two boys were found dead, Constable Julie Rogers-Marsh said in a statement.

While fatal snake attacks are rare, one expert says the incident was likely not a defensive attack, but the result of hunger.

"Snakes only constrict for food," Paul Goulet, owner of Little Ray's Reptile Zoo in Ottawa, told CTVNews. "And they're really hungry again before they eat."

Dave Rose, the uncle of the two brothers, said the family will try to remember them for the fun lives they had. He said before the sleepover, the boys spent the day swimming, shopping and visiting a family farm.

"They played with llamas and goats and horses," he said. "They played with dogs and cats in the hay loft. They went for a ride in the farm tractor, which I'm told they even let them steer the tractor, so they had a super day."

Kevin or anyone else that would know, do you know a reputable source for donations? I read about a Jean Coutu donation being started for the funerals but can't find a way to get a hold of them. Any help would be appreciated.

Focal said:

Kevin or anyone else that would know, do you know a reputable source for donations? I read about a Jean Coutu donation being started for the funerals but can't find a way to get a hold of them. Any help would be appreciated.

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I was thinking about that earlier, but wondered if it would be out of line to ask. Wouldn't want to offend anyone with snake person money.

I will make a couple of calls tonight. I know one person that's pretty close yo this.

Thanks Kevin!

Preliminary results from autopsies performed on the boys show they died from asphyxiation, officials said Wednesday.

http://www.boston.com/news/world/ca...gled-python/zpqyncQ92Wnxd5JbIOP5lL/story.html

Such a shame. To make matters worse it appears it wasn't the first time the snake had gotten out either.