To think this was dangerous and shouldn't be done ?

[lisalisa]

I've been chewing this over for hours and after the initial excitement was over and I've researched the species, I'm left with the feeling that this was an incredible risk with our safety that was taken today . In this era of health and safety in
Very surprised it "passed" and was rush assessed.
Basically I was at a small farm today - a kind of children's open farm where there are goats , lambs and chickens to let and feed - with my two children today .
Announcements are generally made over a megaphone of feedings or events and this one generated some excitement . There was a snake that they were exhibiting in the grass just by the car park that was very rarely allowed out of its enclosure but was allowed out today. The farm was quite quiet no more than about a dozen people I'd say . All of us crossed the car park where there was a small field . I can't remember what separates the car park from
The field - it was either nothing or it was a low bar - thigh height . In the field was a very large snake just gliding slowly around. There were two handlers with it - I say handlers but they were not specialists . At least one was a young slight girl who's been doing the rabbit feeds just before and the chicken feeds earlier . I think she was just s general farm employee.

The snake was 22 ft long - an African Rock Python . It glided around the field parallel to us for a while no more than a foot away . The handler Explained it was a dangerous and aggressive snake and would attach unprovoked even f not hungry . It was no more than a foot away from us with either no barrier st all between us or just a bar I can't remember . We were all quite spellbound and watched it until the handlers put it away.
It was only when I came home and googled to discover more about the snake that I clicked what a dangerous snake iny is . In a zoo where they are used to such species you woukdnh be invited so Close to one with no proper barrier I'm sure. Snakes are always in their vicariously for a reason. I'm upset and puzzled2 by this as I feel the farm put our safety at risk. If that snake chose to move quickly towards us bearingg in mind it weighed over 100kg and was 22 feet we would not have stood a chance .

AIBU to contact the farm and ask for their opinion on this?

can you see them as my mobile is playing funny tricks

Interesting thread.

I have no idea what legalities the farm should have complied to in keeping the snake, but a professional body could help there and then you can decide how you want to address it further.

Did you get a picture of the snake OP?

Can see them! It's huge, not sure it's bigger than the pic posted earlier. Have u got pics with something else in the photo for comparison?

Sorry! Cross posted! I'd have ran for the hills!

Well in the cold light of day if I had known about the potential risk ( of course I'm not an idiot and understand that a snake poses danger but I mean of the actual character of the snake and its ability to constrict and move so fast and be aggressive plus " risk assessed" situation myself properly - no barrier / 2 handlers etc ) I wouldn't have gone but we were just excited to see and then quite mesmerized. It was only after wards that I thought surely that must have been a bit foolish/silly of the farm to show the snake in that way?

Poor thing

Have I missed the post where you named the farm after being asked to OP? Sorry if so - but maybe you didn't see where someone asked you?

That's one big ugly snake. I think it's completely normal to not think about the risks when you were there. You would just assume it's ok, wouldn't you?

Asking vipers about vipers eh?

Well it was never about the fact that I'm alive as I wouldn't be posting if I weren't and you'd all be reading it in the news instead! It's more about the fact that I feel more and more uneasy about this and want the farm not to do this again if that is a real breach of our safety. I'll wait for the reply from the professional body I've emailed .

I don't want to name them moltolncazzata - that wouldn't be fair until I know it was a breach of our safety . Even then I'd like to let the farm deal with it without having adverse publicity about it - they are small, family run and have struggled financially - not one of the big glossy commercially run opertaions and something like this could jeapardise their future . We all know how social media can run.

yanbu

its what is referred to in HSSE terms as a "near miss"

definitely register your concern, and if they refuse to address it, report to the HSE
www.hse.gov.uk/contact/contact.htm

they are the best place to start

for everyone saying Nanny state, bla bla. You just don't have high risk animals near children, its a no fucking brainer

Ok, that is fucking huge!

I'm actually really surprised they did that.

Unless, as a PP suggested, they have somehow sedated/defanged the snake in which case they have broken the law.

Please keep us updated about their response.

It looks like it's been fed quite recently as there is a big bulge in the middle/back of it

That snake is massive, no wonder they have a farm, it would take a farm to feed that thing!

Ooh, that is a big snake! Sorry, OP. Let us know what the Society of Snake People says!

In those pictures it looks a bit "lumpy" towards the right hand edge of the photos. And when I say "lumpy" I mean fed.

data.whicdn.com/images/14085689/large.jpg

That snake is massive, no wonder they have a farm, it would take a farm to feed that thing!

It's probably where the goats, rabbits and guinea pigs go when their number is up.

Beautiful snake, obviously recently fed and yanno they're going to big up the risk to stop stupid people getting smart ideas and to make sure they control their kids.

But don't let that spoil a good story about how your kids were almost eaten

There's no way that thing is 22 feet long.

He has been fed, you can see it down the bottom.

Rightho what book is that from? I remember it from childhood.

lisa it does look big and your concerns around risk assessment, staff training and expertise seem very sensible to me - but then I thought you sounded sensible before the photos too :)

(The snake is definitely not as big as the Thailand snake photo though, but I guess that's not the point!)

op yanbu
good for you for adressing it with official channels.
fed or not that beast is heavy and big and could just by it's size alone cause a lot of damage.