True story. Their yippy little Chihuahua dog was devoured by a 16-foot python. And, like any good parent, mom let the kids (5 and 7 years old) out in the yard to watch.
"Now see how the snake is squeezes tighter each time Yippy inhales? That way Yippy can't exhale to take a breath and will slowly die. Stop crying! This is nature!"
As if that weren't bad enough, the family knew the snake had been hanging out in their yard.
"It actively stalked the dog for a number of days," said Stuart Douglas, owner of the Australian Venom Zoo.
"The family that owned the dog had actually seen it in the dog's bed, which was a sign it was out to get it," he added.
Thanks for that tip Mr. Snake Expert.
If I'd seen a python coiled up where my dog slept, I would probably keep my dog (and kids) indoors. Then again, I'm a new parent so I'm probably overly-cautious about such things. Maybe once you have a few kids the idea of them playing in the yard with the dog and the scrub python isn't such a big deal.
CNN story here. Image from here.