A man discovered a nearly 15-foot Burmese python on his
property after small animals began disappearing.
There was massive snake on the loose. Small animals had
disappeared. Parents keeping their children close. The terror ended around 2:30
Tuesday morning.
True, residents are used to seeing snakes but not 14’ 7”,
160 pound Burmese Pythons.
“I was the first one to see it,” said neighbor, Larry
Fahrig. He saw the snake going after his poodle Sunday night. He called
neighbors for help but the snake slithered away.
Burmese Pythons are carnivores. They kill their prey by constriction;
suffocating small animals then swallowing them whole.
One neighbor had two dogs disappear, but doubted the snake
ate them. Another neighbor had three chickens vanish in recent days. Other
predators like owls and coyotes typically leave behind partial carcasses or at
least a pile of feathers. These chickens disappeared without
a trace.
Residents called the sheriff’s department but said it was of
no help. They reached a snake expert who offered to capture it for them but
said it would be a few days because he was out of town.
Then, Pauline Horstdaniel woke up to her St. Bernard-Lab mix
having a fit in the yard in the early morning darkness Tuesday. She feared the
snake could kill her dog in spite of the dog’s large size.
“I was terrified,” after seeing the snake, she said. “I got my husband out of bed. He’s out there in his underwear with his
gun.” They feared his handgun wouldn’t be enough to stop the snake.
They called Troy’s dad who killed the snake with two blasts
of a shotgun. Troy’s mom was trying to save the skin, though she wasn’t sure
why.
“You only see snakes like this in the movies and at the
zoo,” she said. Residents didn’t want to kill the snake but felt they had no
choice. “It`s a shame that animals have to be killed because somebody just
didn`t care about it,” Fahrig said.
From its markings the snake appeared to be a Burmese Python.
They do not grow or live in the wild of Missouri. It was a somewhat common exotic
pet. There were no reports of any missing pet snakes in the area.
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