Dad defends decision to let his 13-foot pet python wrap itself around his 14-month-old daughter
There will always be a debate about animals in the house or near children. Particularly if the animal is a certain breed of dog, like a Pit Bull or a Rottweiler. Other times, the debate is about wild animals, like foxes, and exotic wildlife, like big cats and reptiles.
Not only does keeping certain animals in ones home run the risk of a deadly attack, there is also a chance of contracting diseases from exotic and wild animals.
Adam Roberts, the executive vice president at Born Free USA, states, “It’s not just about bites, scratches or mauling. It’s also about disease.”
Born Free USA is a nonprofit advocacy organization that strives to end the ownership of wild animals.
For example, reptiles like snakes and turtles, can carry salmonella, according to research by New York State. In fact, salmonella can live on the reptile’s skin even if they appear clean. In turn, the germs can get on whatever the reptile comes into contact with, including cages and humans.
One snake handler from Michigan faced a ton of backlash after sharing a video of his 14-month-old daughter, Alyssa, playing with his 13-foot Burmese pet python, Nay Nay.
Jamie Guarino, defended his actions after he received scathing responses after putting his daughter in what many consider an extremely dangerous situation.
“I was trying to show that snakes are not evil creatures, they can be a loving pet despite their bad reputation. When people see the way Nay-Nay is with Alyssa they mostly react with fear or negativity and I don’t understand why,” he told ABC7 News.
Guarino claims to be a snake charmer and says he’s been a charmer since he was 18-years-old. In fact, he raised his eldest daughter, Krista, in the same environment.
Still, many are not impressed with his parenting skills.
“This guy has a love for his snakes, which is perfectly fine, but it’s made him blind to the fact that is DOES remain a dangerous animal, especially towards a baby,” one user commented.
Still, Guarino states in the video, “My daughter was absolutely in no danger.”
He even goes as far to say that he believes that people are “brainwashed” to believe that snakes are inherently dangerous towards humans.
However, the way the pros at National Geographic describe the python is anything but pet-friendly.
“Attacks on handlers, sometimes deadly, are not uncommon,” the website states.
They also describe, in great detail, how pythons kill their prey.
“They kill by constriction, grasping a victim with their sharp teeth, coiling their bodies around the animal, and squeezing until it suffocates.”
Python attacks on humans is far from unheard of. In 1996, 19-year-old boy Grant Williams, was killed by his pet python after it mistakingly mistook him for food.
In a more recent example, two boys in Canada were strangled by their friend’s father’s python in 2013.
“Police speculate that the serpent escaped its enclosure at the Reptile Ocean store sometime overnight, got into the ventilation system, and then into the upstairs apartment where the young boys, reportedly brothers aged five and seven years old, were staying over with the son of the store’s owner.”
But Guarino isnt’ convinced. Today, he and Krista host their own YouTube channel, SnakeHuntersTV.
You can see the controversial video below!
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Sources: ABC7 News, Animal Channel, LiveScience