A python does not attack humans by nature, but will bite and possibly constrict if it feels threatened, or mistakes a hand for food. While not venomous, large pythons can inflict serious injuries, sometimes requiring stitches. However, there are some bizarrely rare cases in which people have been reported to be strangled to death and swallowed by the giant pythons.
The Fate Of Erick Arrieta:
A three-metre Burmese Python killed a Biology student zookeeper in Caracas, Venezuela on the weekend and was caught trying to swallow its dead human prey when horrified coworkers arrived at the spot.
The other employees of the Caracas zoo had to beat the giant snake to make it release the body of 19-year-old Erick Arrieta, whose head was already in its mouth. The snake was attempting to eat him whole.
The incident took place on the night of 26th August 2008, when Arrieta had been working the nightshift alone at the zoo, looking after the reptile section.
Arrieta who was a university biology student had broken the park’s rules by entering the cage holding the snake, which had been donated two months ago and was not on public display.
A snake bite on his arm indicated the python had attacked Arrieta before wrapping itself around him and crushing him to death.
However, it is unclear why Erik decided to open the Python’s cage and what exactly prompted the deadly attack.
This zoo in Caracas was built on an old coffee plantation which is widely known as the city’s most popular zoo. It includes South American animals such as birds, reptiles, imported felines and elephants.
Other Bone Chilling Cases Of Death By Giant Python:
It is rare for constrictor snakes to kill humans, but it has happened on rare occasions. Less than a dozen deaths by constrictor have been recorded in North America in the past 20 years.
An unidentified pet python “strangled” a 28 years old man in Brampton, Ontario in 1992. An 11-foot pet Burmese python by the name of Sally killed a 15-year-old boy in his bed in Commerce City, Colorado in 1993. The snake bit the boy on the right foot and apparently suffocated him.
In 1995, a 7-metre python squeezed a rubber plantation worker in Malaysia to death and tried to swallow him. The python, which was fatally shot by police, had already swallowed the victim’s head and crushed some of his bones when discovered.
A 4-metre 20 kg Burmese python killed a 19-year-old man in The Bronx, New York in 1996. A neighbour found him in a hallway outside his apartment with the snake wrapped around him.
In 2011, Jaren Hare and Jason Damell were found guilty of third-degree murder, manslaughter and child neglect after their pet python strangled a 2-year-old girl in their care. Trial testimony revealed the python had not been fed for a month and had wrapped itself around the toddler in an attempt to eat her.
In Canada in 2013, two little boys were killed when a giant python had wrapped itself around them for warmth – as it was a very cold day.
In March 2017 in Indonesia, a 7-metre python swallowed a 25-year-old man whole. Later, the snake was killed and cut open and the man was found dead intact inside.
In June 2018, again in Indonesia, a 54-year-old woman named Wa Tiba was checking on her home vegetable garden when she was believed to have been attacked by a 7-metre reticulated python, which is native to southeast Asia and is considered to be the longest snake in the world.
A search effort was launched when Tiba didn’t return home. The snake was reportedly found nearby with a bloated stomach. When locals from Tiba’s town killed the snake and sliced it open, the woman was found dead, fully intact, and swallowed whole.
On August 25, 2018, a lover of exotic animals Dan Brandon, 31, was found dead in his bedroom in the village of Church Crookham in Hampshire, with his 2.4-metre pet African rock python called Tiny concealed close by.
Later, pathologists found that Brandon’s lungs were four times heavier than would be expected and he had suffered pinpoint hemorrhages in one of his eyes – signs of asphyxia. He also had a recently fractured rib.
On November 01, 2019, an Indiana woman named Laura Hurst, 36, found dead with an 8-foot reticulated python snake wrapped around her neck died from asphyxiation. Her house was filled with 140 snakes.
The Starving Python – A Creepy Legend:
There was a couple from Florida who owned a python. It was a giant snake and they’ve had it for a while so they did not put it in the cage. The couple started to become concerned when the snake stopped eating. All the snake would do is lay around and occasionally it would slither onto their bed and stretch its body out.
They finally decided to take the snake to the veterinarian because it was not eating anything, even its favourite meals. The doctor did a thorough exam and turned to the couple and said, “You need to get rid of this snake immediately.” “Why?” – the couple asked. “It has been refusing its food because it’s getting ready to eat one of you. When it stretches out it’s actually measuring how tall you are and if it can fit you in its body!” – the doctor replied.
