Lisa Powers for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online
One of the latest viral videos shows a baby girl playing with a 13-foot Burmese python while her father films, claiming he made the video to show people that snakes are great animals.
“To those of you who might see this as irresponsible or dangerous, please don’t judge me based on fear or something you don’t understand,” he asserted. “Snakes can be and are loving animals. If you research the facts there are 95 per cent more dog attacks than snakes. My daughter was absolutely in no danger.”
Snakes are indeed great animals and are all too often portrayed negatively in the media. They are one of the few animals that most people love to hate. But after reviewing the comments posted by people who have viewed the video, it does not seem to be doing anything more than stirring up more hatred for both the snakes and the snake lovers and putting the child at risk.
While the obvious danger is the unpredictability of the snake biting the child (and yes, this is far less likely to happen than the family dog biting the child), the harm caused to the child if the snake started to constrict would be even more harmful and harder to stop if it occurred.
There are also other risks involved. Although this snake looks to be in very good health, it could potentially pass on a deadly illness to the child. Salmonella enterica is a bacterium that can occur in reptiles, amphibians and other animals and can be transferred to humans where it can cause the illness salmonellosis.
There is no way to tell if a snake has Salmonella just by looking at it; perfectly healthy-looking animals can have it and never become sick or show signs of illness. Simple hygiene can reduce or eliminate the risk of infections in humans. In fact, humans are far more at risk at contracting salmonellosis from the foods we bring into our homes than from pet snakes when proper hygiene is observed. Most people recover without treatment, but it can be deadly for certain at risk groups.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have released this warning regarding pet reptiles and amphibians:
“Don’t let children younger than 5 years of age, older adults, or people with weak immune systems handle or touch amphibians or reptiles, or anything in the area where they live and roam, including water from containers or aquariums.”
As to the claims of the man about snakes being loving animals, while it is hard to prove whether or not a reptile can feel love towards humans, many do recognize specific people and even seem to enjoy interacting with their owners.
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