While many children might wish to curl up with a dog or cat, a young Cambodian boy prefers to spend his time with a 4.8-metre-long python. In the village of Sit Tbow, 50 kilometres east of Phnom Penh, Sambath Uon, seven, reportedly refuses to go to sleep without the company of his pet, Chamreun, or Lucky, in Khmer. The snake slithered into town in 2000, when Sambath was just a few months old. While the boy's father tried to return the snake to the forest three times, the Burmese python loyally returned to her young master and has earned the acceptance of villagers, who think she brings good fortune. Young Sambath said of his faithful companion: "I love the python like my sister." The affection appears to be mutual, despite the fact that pythons are typically afraid of people and avoid humans if at all possible.

One of the world's largest snakes, the Burmese python, which is found throughout Southeast Asia, can grow up to 8 metres long and weigh up to 180 kg. Females like Lucky are typically longer than males.

View: Full Article | Source: The Telegraph

I can sense what the snake is thinking, "Ah, yes, fatten the little tyke up just a little more. Mmmmm, he looks so yummy. I can't wait to wrap myself around his warm body and sink my fangs into this one!"

People like this should have their children taken away from them. There is nothing cute about risking the life of an innocent child by placing it in the company of a wild, unpredictable animal.

Oddly enough, most animals don't like to eat humans. Snakes fall into that category as well.... unless the snake is starved or sick the boy will be fine.

What I find much more disturbing is those people who want to have others' children taken away b/c they do not agree with their legal and reasonable choices.

Oh, and pythons don't really have fangs...

JS

PS. I wouldn't have a snake that size in my house with my small children around, but that's my own choice.

This will probably end badly. No decent parent would allow this. Not unless they wanted to get rid of their child.

"While the boy's father tried to return the snake to the forest three times, the Burmese python loyally returned to her young master"

It sounds to me like the parents tried to do the reasonable thing, and take the python back, but it decided to return on it's own. It makes me wonder, though, what it is about this boy that makes the python so loyal and attached? The article stated that they normally do not like to be around humans. ??

Agreed, letting your child around any thing that could pose danger no matter how safe some one may think, is just plain ignorant.

Yes, there is no way that I would just say "oh, well, we tried!" It's not just the danger of it being a Python, but also that snakes can carry salmonella on their skin, and if the child doesn't wash his hands and then use them to eat, he could die. I think the parents need to get their priorities straight and get rid of the animal, any way necessary.

2 Things:

One day the parents will cry out for the boy and find the snake missing.

If that snake came back, it was meant to be eaten. Snake stew!

So... if the snake slithered off a bridge?....

Really. Then kill the dang snake. Don't let your kid play on it. Geesh.

I watched a documentary once about how we are taught fear. If you put a young child who hasn't been introduced to indoctrinated fear near a dangerous animal they'll see it like any other cuddly wuddly animal. Personally, I think it's nuts. But I don't think the parents have any sinister plot or reason to get rid of the child. They do need to get rid of it though. Like any pet, under certain conditions they can turn on their owners.

Darwin award? Summer 2008?

As strange as it may seem, there have been other reports of large, potentially dangerous reptiles, such as alligators and crocodiles, that appear to "bond" with families. Conventional wisdom says that these creatures are incapable of such, and are always dangerous creatures to be treated with extreme caution. More and more data are coming in suggesting that these creatures are more complicated than first thought, however. Nonetheless, large reptile pets are certanly not for beginners, and one shouldn't raise one with the expectation that it will become 'tame" or "love" them back.

Jeez, it's just me who thinks that this is cool...? Anybody ever read A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Reptile Room? How about Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone?

TeraLink Was Here!

Nah, I think it's cool too, but I agree they should be cautious.. and make sure the python is well fed at all times..

Common, didn't you ever read the jungle book?

LOL take a look at the pictures.

Am I the only one who sees that the photos are superimposed?

^ the photos don't really matter, did you watch the video on the website?

Wow. Check out this pic from the article.



That's one big snake.

I know that most "Western" people are christians, but a lot from that part of the world are not and have different beliefs. One of the Eastern religions (Hindu?) teaches of reincarnation (which has also been argued is in the bible but the powers that be when the bible was first written up, didn't like it and had it removed). Reincarnation, in that you can come back as anything if your soul has a lesson to learn. I tell you, the first thing I thought of (because I give credence to reincarnation) is that this snake is someone that knew him or will know him and love him. For the very fact that the father tried 3 times to take the snake back to the jungle and it came back to this one boy and not any other in the village. That says alot to me.

that python could wrap around the boy anytime and could easily kill him.. what do these parents think of?!

I thought exactly the same thing. And yes, there are still some traces of reincarnation belief still in the Bible, such as when many people who listened to Jesus thought he was the reincarnated Elijah. But even if the reincarnation part is not true, the parents probably believe this, and this is why they are taking such risks. What is thought to be "reincarnation" could also be a human spirit enter the body of an animal, just as many enteresting human accounts, if we acknowledge the existence of spirits. This could explain why some animals also seem to become intelligent unkillable monsters, like the Lions of Tsavo or the Crocodile "Gustave" that has supposedly killed over 300 people. In both cases, the locals believed a spirit controlled these animals.

But in truth, large "tame" pythons that are accustomed to human "companions" virtually NEVER deliberately "turn" on them. Virtually every account of pet pythons attacking their keepers involves a feeding accident where the snake thinks it is constricting a food item, but strikes the human by mistake and then instinct takes over. The more the human struggles, the harder the snake will squeeze.

For example, that scene could end in tragedy if a goat or dog suddenly came on the scene, and while attacking these, the snake might constrict the child as well.

Does anyone here honestly believe these parents haven't thought about the snake being dangerous? Come on! Just because they live in Cambodia, it doesn't mean the parents are mindless snake idolizing idiots!! Of course they keep the snake fed. It would have attacked the child by now if they hadn't, besides, there is plenty of prey in the jungle surrounding their village. Of course the snake and boy are supervised by adults.... geez.

It says the parents are idiots and when that child is killed they can blame it on luck.

Whatever. You don't know that. The parents are idiots. Good grief. The fact that some of you are defending them is sad & scary in itself.

and you don't know for a fact that they AREN'T watching. Hmm, let's see, cameras about, villagers gathering.... makes you wonder WHO'S WATCHING..

What's really sad and scary is the fact that so called educated individuals are passing judgement and labeling these parents without actually KNOWING a damned thing.

I hope the snake eats the kid. Then I can say Toooooooold you so. Until that happens, I have no comment on the subject.

Any parent that would let there child around a dangerous animal, supervised or not, needs to have their children taken away. Its real easy to say no problem until the child dies. Would you let your small child play with a huge python that could easily kill her?Go ahead risk your child's life. Not very smart though. I sure as heck wouldn't let my 7 year old near one and I used to have a pyhton.

This is dangerous and highly irresponsible, from an animal rights perspective!
There is a danger, that the Kid might actually eat the snake. He looks like he's suffering for acute malnutrition.

The parents are looney's!! That snake may be dangerous and harmful.

Aww! Isn't that sweet? Sorta like Gentle Ben . . . only . . . not

Seriously, I don't know the people or reptile involved, so I'm not going to judge them. It does sound to me, though, like a very dangerous pet to allow your child to play with. Even if it's true that the python would never turn on the child (and it may be true) the potential for her to accidentally kill him is there.

http://www.livevideo.com/video/APnews/0CC2...st-friend-.aspx

Why is this considered strange news? I know lots of people that have snakes.

Did you see the size? Did you see the little kid? Are you being obtuse on purpose?

Wonder how long it is before the kid takes the snake to bed and its the last we hear of the boy.

You ever consider the fact that this sort of feeling is what has created the race of sickly/weaklings that the humans are now. The animal kingdom is based on survival of the fittest, that is what makes a healthy viable species. But no humans come along and coddle themselves, so now we have diseases running rampant and it gets worse every year.

LOL! my thoughts exactly.
Edit: that snake may be dangerous by nature, but its obvious the parents are confortable with the idea of it being around. It is bizarre due to the fact that this snake has been around this child since infancy, and from what we can see, this child is now roughly 5-7 years old. If you think about it, so far so good.

That is an idiotic statement. I guess you don't have children. So we should throw the our kids to lions and the ones who make it get to survive. This is pitiful.

So far so good. Just like kids around pitbulls. So far so good until the pitbull rips off their faces? This is how parents lack of being watchfull end up killin their children.

I totally agree with you, Eric. Animals are unpredictable and no young child should ever be left unsupervised with one. In this case I wouldn't allow it near my child period. It's like playing Russian roulette with your childs life.

Exactly what was on my mind. ALL animals are unpredictable, I don't care if it's the family parakeet. It's just like living life, the chances we take, an irresponsible one, but a chance none the less. I personally wouldn't put my child in a gerbil ball, but then again, I wouldn't roll dice with my child's life either.

If it was my snake, I would have named her Lassie, the name would have been fitting.

The very fact this friggin SNAKE is hanging around this kid should be a clue that this animal is behaving strangely. Why? Maybe it is SICK???


"Reasonable choice"? What is frustrating here is this story made the news only because it is so bizarre. When the snake eats the kid, that will be normal and we'll never hear about it so there will be nothing to throw back in your face for calling this a "reasonable decision". And who cares if it is "legal"? There are plenty of backwards-ass nations where it is still legal to stone a woman to death for kissing her boyfriend!

The perfect Libertarian! Go ahead and kill your kids! Nobody has the right to tell you that you can't let 500 pound wild boars with foot-long tusks run around your babies crib at night! Myself, I wouldn't personally do that, but there is nothing wrong with the reasonable choice to leave your babies to the whims of wild boars.

Give me a break.....

Nature always knows best.
Humans are here because all of our stupid ancestors got eaten up. This is the reason I believe everyone shouldn’t be allowed to have children. If we stop holding the hands of the stupid then our entire human race may eventually get somewhere one day. But as long as we continue to make dumb laws like “Buckle up”, “No Smoking”, arresting Meth druggies and the like we are doomed to genocidal retention.
Any moron knows that you shouldn’t even leave a child alone with a pet dog let alone Reptid with a primitive 200 million year old mind.
Then again, now that I am finished playing Devil’s Advocate, there was once a time we humans did have the ability to bond with all animals. I say the boy should be tested with how he deals with other animals as well.

Actually I have a wonderful 29 year old daughter and 3 grandkids. You apparently don't understand (or perhaps learned) about survival of the fittest and how it makes a species strong. I kid you not when I say look at the human race now days, sure we have cures or vaccines for a lot of diseases of the past, but new and nastier ones come along more and more every day. Ask a Dr. about the germs becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics, etc. We race around keeping our kids as clean as possible and then wonder why they catch every little cold and sickness that they come in contact with. We have to come in contact with germs to build up resistances. Better a little cold and sniffles now, than pneumonia down the road, but that would be inconvenient to us working parents.

And as for animals, children, etc. that is nature and how the world works, but we are above that right? We don't have to conform to the laws of the universe because we are better, we are human. BS, maybe that is why there are new interesting ways to die every day, the universe will have it's way after all. In any case I wouldn't worry about it.

I tell you what. You can put your children with dangerous animals. I will pass. I used to be a nurse and your little comparison to sickness is just silly. By the way, I am better than a animal so is my children and every other human. I would never leave young children around you. Survival of the fittest and such. How would you fare? I think not to well.

This'll be funny if it turns into one of those "Free Willy" cases and the snake grows up and poachers try to catch it and it avoids capture thanks to the little boy and a huge adventure happens throughout. It becomes an award winning movie with stars like Jack Nicholson and Al Pacino as the poachers, and Will Smith as the boys father. hahaahaha

you make me sick, people like you is the reason why so many animals have almost gone extinct


KIILL KILL KILL is your most rational choice, I am so disgusted !

Your solution to the problem is what is most scary though


Back to the OT I agree that having a snake that size around a child isnt a good idea. But unlike ERic the ignorant ignorant skeptic, I dont think MURDER is the solution