Living near a pet shop has its perks - you can stop by anytime to see the cute new kittens and puppies. However, in a tragic twist of events, a python in Canada managed to escape the pet shop and made its way to an apartment above where two young brothers were asleep and strangled them to death.
The victims have been identified as brothers, Noah Barthe, 5, and Connor Barthe, 7, who were on a sleepover with the son of the pet shop owner, Jean-Claude Savoie. The pet shop, Reptile Ocean, was an exotic pet retailer. Police say the python escaped from the store and made its way through the ventilation system, into the apartment where the brothers were on a sleepover.
A New Brunswick, Campbellton government official says the particular python specie, African rock python, is not permitted in the province, according to CBC news. The snake is between 14 to 16 feet long and although it is non-venomous, but is known to devour whole antelopes in the wild.
"It is illegal for anyone to keep any exotic species that is not listed in the regulation unless they have a permit from the Department of Natural Resources," according to a statement from the department on Tuesday.
"If such an animal is found, it will be confiscated and the person who possesses the animal can be charged under the Fish and Wildlife Act."
Autopsies are scheduled to be performed on later today. "I can only assume the snake ... constricted the one child, the other child I can only assume tried to help that child and got constricted into the whole mess," said Bry Loyst, curator of Ontario's Indian River Reptile Zoo, speaking to the National Post on Monday.
It is not clear yet if charges will be laid against the pet shop owner, Savoie, in connection with the deaths.
