A father who bought a snake over the internet which turned out to be a man-eating python has called for dangerous pets not to be sold online.
Barry Cowan, 23, from Bathgate, said he was scared for the safety of his two-year-old daughter Michelle when he discovered he had a reticulated python.

The mechanic thought he had bought a royal python, which only grows to 5ft.

It was only when he posted pictures on the internet he was told he actually had the world's biggest python species.
Speaking to the BBC Scotland news website, Mr Cowan, said he was angry such a mistake could have happened.

He said: "When I was told by a man on an internet forum that I actually had a python which can eat a man I was really worried and feared for my daughter's safety as it was in a tank in the living room.

"It makes me really annoyed to think that all I did was give my name, address and £250 and I had a really dangerous animal a few days later in my home.

"I know nothing about snakes and had been told a royal python was a good starter snake.

"I think it should only be pet shops and animal centres which should be allowed to sell snakes, I've had a real fright with this and I won't be buying any more animals over the internet again."

Aggression concern

Ross Lambert, who runs Reptile Rescue UK, said reticulated pythons could easily eat a child and should not be pets.

He said: "When we went to see the snake at this guy's house, we realised that it was a reticulated python straight away.

"It was only a young one, so had only grown to about 6ft. But it would have grown very quickly and they can get as big as 30ft.

"We agreed to get the snake out of his house and are now looking after it at our rescue centre."

"It can be aggressive and would certainly have a try at eating the family dog."

Ross claimed internet pet sales were to blame for a boom in sales of deadly snakes such as the reticulated python.

He said: "The problem with buying these things online is that you just pay your money, tick a box and the thing is delivered.

"There's no attempt to advise people on what they are actually buying. And there's no way the seller can check out the buyer to make sure they have the right facilities for looking after a big snake."

Why the hell would someone buy a python that grows up to even 5ft with his 2ft daughter around?

Why the hell would someone buy a python that grows up to even 5ft with his 2ft daughter around?

yeah who buys a snake that big with a lil kid in the house and also...
who the fuck would buy a big huge snake online? how do they even ship that kind of stuff? when the fedex guy brought a biggo box xD ....

i think it is legal there, thats why he bought it.

what kind of country is that?!

what kind of country is that?!

England. And as he said he only wanted the 5ft one not the 30ft one.

but that's still 5 feet!




but that's still 5 feet! i wouldn't get a 5 feet snake if i had a baby.

I would've kept a 30ft snake!

What a waste.

Don't be so stupid. If you had a 30ft snake it would over power you and eat you.

You guys are idiots, he said that he didn't know it would grow up to 30 feet. He said that he only bought for a house pet. How the hell should a normal person know the difference between a 5 foot snake and a 5 foot royal python that grow up to 30 feet? He obviously didn't know it was a Royal Python.

You guys are idiots, he said that he didn't know it would grow up to 30 feet. He said that he only bought for a house pet. How the hell should a normal person know the difference between a 5 foot snake and a 5 foot royal python that grow up to 30 feet? He obviously didn't know it was a Royal Python.

Yes, that is why you do this.



SILLY SNAKE ISN'T GOING NOWHERE.

No the royal Python grows up to 5ft.
The reticulated python can grow up to 30ft.
And the reticulated python at the moment he had was 6ft. And it was only a baby.

what kind of country is that?!

exactly. It could eat his daughter twice.
It probably could eat him.

i saw a video of a snake coughing up a hippo once it was disgusting..... it really did cough up a whole hippo

Source
Why the hell would someone buy a python that grows up to even 5ft with his 2ft daughter around?

No matter what why would have a 5ft snake around the house if you had a dog and a small child. At least he figured that out before somone actually was hurt.

i saw a video of a snake coughing up a hippo once it was disgusting..... it really did cough up a whole hippo

if he didn't know anything about snakes, why didn't he get like a garden snake or something really small and harmless?

and why din't he check into it more before he clicked the button of doom?

seriously, couldn't he check out some books, and talk to the seller more?

Woopdy do

Yes, that is why you do this.



SILLY SNAKE ISN'T GOING NOWHERE.


He also said he knew nothing of snakes, and that is was the first snake he had ever bought, so basically, it's his own fault for not checking out biographies of them first or going to the pet store to ask about them.

why would somebody by my ex girlfriend?