2013 New Brunswick python attack

On August 5, 2013, an

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said the python escaped from its enclosure in the apartment and entered the living room where the boys were sleeping via the ventilation system. The python was approximately 4.3 metres (14 ft) long and weighed 45 kilograms (100 lb).^[4] The boys, Noah Barthe, 4, and Connor Barthe, 6,^{[4][5][6][7][8]} were brothers who were visiting their friend, whose father owned a pet shop below the apartment where they were staying.^[9]

The owner of the python – Jean-Claude Savoie – was interviewed by the Canadian network

Several experts expressed skepticism about the incident and said that such behaviour by this type of snake would be extremely unusual,[12]^{[13][14][1][5]} although there have been some previous reports of deadly attacks on humans. According to the reports, the snake did not consume the bodies after strangling the brothers. This – together with the fact that more than one child was killed in a single incident and that the other occupants of the apartment were reportedly not awakened by the disturbance – prompted questions about the circumstances regarding the alleged attack.^[12][13] Lee Parker, facilities manager at Reptilia, Canada's largest indoor reptile zoo, stated that these snakes do not "go on killing sprees. It doesn't make sense to me."^[1] Though these objections were made, the possibility that the incident may be a homicide rather than an animal attack was ruled out by the RCMP.^[15]

Court records revealed that the pet shop owner was found pacing outside of the store with blood on his hands and wearing shorts by police who first arrived on the scene.^[16] The store owner told arriving police that the snake was still unaccounted for, leaving one to speculate whether the blood belonged to the boys or was his own (due to being bitten by the "enraged" snake or cut by debris from the collapsed ceiling).^[16]

Although the pet shop was registered as a reptile zoo, police said that the province does not allow pythons and that the owner probably did not have the proper permits and authorization to keep the python under his care.^[6]

Aftermath

The python was euthanized by authorities.^[11] Additionally, a total of 23 reptiles were seized and four American alligators were euthanized following the incident.^[18] A coroner's preliminary autopsy report released on August 7 said that the boys died of

The two boys could be seen cleaning a large glass enclosure originally belonging to a green anaconda in pictures their mother posted on Facebook.^[17] This enclosure later held the African rock python that, unlike the anaconda, managed to escape.^[10][11]

Although the incident was treated as an accident, the RCMP arrested Savoie in Montreal on February 5, 2015.^[21] On March 31, 2015, Savoie was charged with criminal negligence for not preventing the deaths.^[22][23] However, he was found not guilty in a jury trial in November 2016.^[24]

See also

• List of unusual deaths
• Exotic pets
• Animal attacks

References