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An African rock python killed two boys in Campbellton, New Brunswick on August 5, 2013. The boys, ages 4 and 6,〔〔〔〔〔〔 were brothers who were visiting their friend, whose father owned a pet shop below the apartment where they were staying.〔Than, K., "(Strangulation of Sleeping Boys Puts Spotlight on Pythons )", ''National Geographic Daily News'', August 6, 2013.〕 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 long and weighed .〔"(Python's strangling of 2 boys in Canada investigated )", CBS News, August 6, 2013.〕 The owner of the python was interviewed by the Canadian network Global TV. According to the interview the python was not in the pet store downstairs, but rather in a specially built cage in the apartment upstairs. The python escaped its enclosure through a hole in the ceiling, where a ventilation fan had been removed for maintenance.〔"(Python enclosure in N.B. boys' deaths had 'flaw' )", (CBC News ), August 14, 2013.〕 This gave the snake direct access to the air ducts in the ceiling, which then collapsed under the snake’s weight above the living room.〔Prentiss, M., Paperny, A.M., Wong, J., and Logan, N., “(Python that killed two N.B. boys was in enclosure near where they slept, friend says )”, (Global News ), August 6, 2013.〕 The pipe containing the snake crashed through the ceiling tiles and onto the boys who were sleeping on a floor mattress located about eight feet from the snake’s enclosure.〔 Although the incident was treated as a tragic accident, the RCMP arrested Jean-Claude Savoie, the python's owner, in Montreal on February 5, 2015, but did not immediately file formal charges against him. On March 31, 2015, Savoie was charged with criminal negligence for not being able to prevent the deaths, and was due in provincial court on April 27 to face the charge. ==Controversy== Several experts expressed skepticism about the incident and said that this behaviour by this type of snake would be extremely unusual,〔〔〔"(Escaped python kills two young children in Canada )", ''Agence France-Presse'', August 6, 2013.〕〔〔Mahoney, J., "('It's Very, Very Puzzling': Snake Expert Mystified by New Brunswick Python Attack )", The Globe and Mail, August 6, 2013.〕 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.〔Wood, D., (Snake attack leaves many questions ), ''The Waterloo Region Record'', August 6, 2013.〕〔Withnall, A., (Python escapes from Canadian pet store and kills two young brothers as they sleep ), ''The Independent'', August 6, 2013.〕 Reptilia zoo facilities manager Lee Parker said "They don't go on killing sprees. It doesn't make sense to me."〔http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/08/06/python-kills-boys_n_3711719.html〕 Though these objections have been made, the possibility that the incident may be a homicide rather than an animal attack has been ruled out by the RCMP.〔http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/nb/news-nouvelles/releases-communiques/13-08-07-153212-eng.htm〕 Court records revealed that the pet shop owner was found pacing outside of the store with blood on his hands and shorts by police who first arrived on the scene.〔"(Python pet shop owner had blood on hands )", (CBC News ), August 22, 2013.〕 Contrary to prior reports,〔 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).〔 Kentucky Reptile Zoo director, Jim Harrison, stated that it was theoretically possible for the large python to have constricted around both boys at the same time,〔 a notion supported by University of Texas professor, Neil Ford.〔 Harrison also mentioned that since the boys handled a variety of farm animals (horses, llamas, goats, cats, and dogs) earlier that day, they may have smelled like food to the snake.〔〔 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.〔"(Python Escapes Cage, Kills Brothers Aged 4 and 6 in Canada )", Latin Post, August 8, 2013.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「2013 New Brunswick python attack」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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