Man Saves Cat From Death By Boa Constrictor

The place is Costa Rica, Central America, a country where the boa constrictor is found and where it is a predator of the domestic, stray and feral cat. The boa constrictor is a species of heavy snake which kills prey by arresting the circulation of the blood through the animal that it is killing.

The prey is not crushed to death or necessarily asphyxiated in the usual sense of the word but the blood flow within the animal, which it is attacking, is shut off. This prevents oxygen supplying the organs of the animal which destroys the tissue of these organs including the oxygen-hungry brain, heart and liver. The animal dies quite quickly. It is faster than pure suffocation.

Boa constrictor snake

A study at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette found that boa constrictors could squeeze prey hard enough to interfere with blood pressures, blood chemistry and heart function.

Of course we are pleased that this good man saved the life of this unfortunate cat. However, personally, I don’t see the event as amusing as somebody off-camera did.

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Comments

Man Saves Cat From Death By Boa Constrictor — 3 Comments

Dee (Florida) on August 13, 2015 at 9:49 pm said:
Boa constrictors are pretty common here.
And, yes, they do wrap themselves around prey, depriving them of breath (oxygen).
The circulation is restricted only because oxygen cannot get to the major organs.
Death is by asphyxiation (ie, suffocation).
Many boas are kept as pets here, and I wish they would be outlawed.
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- Michael Broad on August 14, 2015 at 2:15 pm said:
  I wonder is some of these snakes escape and become wild preying on cats in Florida. Florida seems to be a place where non-native species seem to thrive after they have been imported by people and then released into the wild.
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  - Dee (Florida) on August 14, 2015 at 2:28 pm said:
    No doubt about it.
    A lot of times these snakes escape their glass enclosures as opposed to being released by owners.
    It happens because owners fail to fully secure them in the enclosures.
    Babies and small children have fallen victim. I don’t know why anyone would ever have a snake like this with babies in the house.
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