‘Really harmonious’: father in China defends video of daughter, 4, asleep with ‘tame’ Burmese python around waist after ‘ignorant’ criticism
- Father defends actions, saying snake poses no threat to humans and he supports daughter’s love of animals
- Dangerous pets in China have caused problems in the past – an oriental pit viper bit teen owner this year and a pet crocodile attacked man last year
A video of a four-year-old girl hugging a large golden Burmese python as she falls asleep has stunned mainland social media observers.
The girl’s father, surnamed Zheng, took the video at an animal shelter in Fujian province in southeastern China on August 7, Star Video reported.
Burmese pythons are carnivores and they use constriction to kill small mammals and birds. However, large pythons can take bigger prey like pigs and goats. The reptiles, native to Asia, can reach up to 5 metres in length, with unconfirmed reports of some reaching 7 metres. The golden form is popular as a pet due to its usual colour variation caused by a loss of pigmentation, leaving its skin white and yellow.
In the video, the daughter is seen falling asleep, leaning against a chair, with the large python around her waist. Later she is shown awake and playing with the reptile.
Zheng said that his daughter is fond of animals, and he took her to the animal shelter where a friend of his works to see the animals including the python at least once a week.
He added that his daughter enjoyed spending time with a variety of animals, such as parrots.