CHILD (8)

"Innocent Eyes"!!

 

"Innocent Eyes!



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Have you ever looked into the eyes of a little child and saw the innocence, the purity, the need for guidance and the need for love...I have. But it is a very distressing and hurting thing to see so many small children being treated as though they were disposable trash, or personal property to do with as the owner pleases, rather than being seen as gifts from God to be held and loved and treated with the utmost care.

It is not an easy task to raise kids nowadays, especially if you are a single parent. It gets frustrating at times, and sometimes you want to just pack up and leave...but don't do that because that little one is depending on you. No they don't understand your frustration when you have just finished cleaning and they pour milk out of their cup onto the floor. They don't understand when you are trying to cook as fast as you can, and they are screaming and crying at the top of their lungs because they are hungry. No, they don't understand when you come home from a hard days work, and all you want to do is spend a few minutes alone in a quiet place, but they want to play or need you to help them with schoolwork. They don't understand...no, they just don't understand!

But remember this, in your times of frustration, before you over-react, look at that little one, or little ones and put your arms around them and tell them that you love them. Don't scream, yell or curse at them; that does no good except to keep tension in the home and it wounds their little spirits. They are innocent, it was not their choice or decision to come here...you made that one, along with the person that you were with. The word of God says that :"Lo, Children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward" (Psalms 127:3). So when you curse at a child or abuse them in any way, you are offending God! And you will stand before him to give account for it!

No child is an accident, life comes from God and is precious to him, and it is our responsibility as parents to teach them right from wrong. We have to conduct ourselves in ways that will not reflect negative towards them. What they see and hear us do...they will do. You have a great responsibility Dads and Moms; you owe it to them to give them the best life possible...I am not talking about material things; but emotionally and physically, they deserve the best that you can offer them.

B-blessed

Michael

If you have anger issues, or if you need help with your kids, ask for help! First turn to your Family, then to your local Church, if you are a member or not. Seek out trustworthy Men to be a Mentor to your young boys, and Women likewise to help with your young girls. If that fails, I am sure that your State or City offers many programs to assist you in becoming a better Parent. Don't be ashamed, ask for help!!

 

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After 16 years, couple is blessed with twins • I spent N10m to have a child – Man 
From OKEY SAMPSON, Aba 

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

 

When Chief Rems Uchendu (a.k.a Agunechemba 1 of Aba), set out to exit bachelorhood in 1992, he had in mind like any other man with strong Igbo blood in his veins to start having babies within the next nine months.
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Uchendu, wife and babies

He was convinced that the parcel he picked was well loaded and among the best and, therefore, had no need to worry about.

 

But wishes, they say, are not horses. For 16 tortuous years, Uchedu lived with her wife, Judith, but without a single child to show for the marriage. Chief Uchendu did his traditional marriage on June 6, 1992 and church wedding on November 28 of the same year.

 

As the problem lingers, Uchendu who hails from Ibeme Ugiri in Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State set out in search for a solution.

This took the husband and wife from one place to another; from one medical prescription to another, yet there was no headway.

 

In a chat with Daily Sun, Uchendu said: “I did everything humanly possible for 16 years to see if I could get a child, but there was no way. I spent more than N10 million in the search for just a child, in fact, all the money I made within that period was all spent, and still there was no solution.”

But one thing that the couple had going for them was their absolute faith in what God can do.

“After sometime, we took a decision that we would not go to any where again in search of a child; if God would not give us one, we will accept His wish after all we’ve tried as human beings. After that decision, we stopped all medications towards this direction and hoped wholly on God”, Uchendu said.

Uchendu, a Christian of the Catholic fold, decided to put his faith in God in practice as he went into knighthood and was conferred with the Knight of Saint John International (KSJ).

 

Two spectacular things happened during the period that preceded his initiation into knighthood in September 2007.

First, his wife who although may have disagreed with him on some issues, but definitely not on the issue of child bearing, vehemently opposed his idea of going into knighthood.

 

Her reason, according to Uchendu, was that, “when one is initiated into knighthood, he would not marry two wives. She was afraid my family would accuse her of luring me into knighthood in order to stop me from marrying another woman who would bear me children. I told her to relax because all the while, she never knew there was no pressure from my family to marry another woman because we are a Christian family”.

The second and more spectacular thing which happened within the period was that as Uchendu was attending programmes preparatory to his knighthood initiation, his wife became pregnant and they never knew.

 

His words: “As I was attending programmes preceding my initiation into the knighthood, I never knew my wife had taken in. When it became evident, I asked her to go for scanning tests and the results showed he had only one child in her womb and we prepared for her delivery based on the result of the scanning.

“But God in His infinite way of doing things, my wife in February 2008, delivered twins (a boy and a girl). One came out at exactly 5.00p.m. on that fateful day and the second followed 30 minutes later,” he said.

 

As the twins, Prince Udochukwu and Princeness Adaeze were delivered, Uchendu said that at first he was confused, but later felt relieved.

He said everything around him changed as his house on School Road, Aba became a tourist site of sorts. People from far and near came to see for themselves if actually his wife given birth. Even some American doctors who attended to them in Nigeria when they were in search of the fruit of the womb, joined in the ecstasy of that moment. They went further to send gift items from America for the upkeep of the kids.

In the 16 years of waiting, wherever the couple went for medical tests, they were always said to be okay. But this never stopped people from cajoling them until it got to the point where they were in turn praised..

 

“Although within the 16 years of waiting, people said all sorts of things against us, but we were not bothered because we knew that one day, God will answer our prayers. After sometime, those who were cajoling and calling us all sorts of names, then turned around to praise and call us the best couple around,” he said.

Recently, the twins clocked two years and their father who had at their delivery presented a cow in fulfillment of the vow he made to God, treated them to a lavish birthday ceremony.

But like Oliver Twist, Chief Uchendu who asked for just a child, but God gave him two at once, is asking for more children, even as he said “at the same time, I will be contented with the twins if that’s all God has for me.”

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No fewer than five persons, including a pregnant woman, her child and husband died, while several others have been declared missing in a petrol tanker fire in Lagos yesterday. Lagos Police Command Spokesman, Mr. Frank Mba, a Superintendent of Police, confirmed five persons dead and eight persons injured.

Daily Sun learnt the injured were rushed to nearby hospitals.
Mba’s statement reads: “Today at about 5.45a.m. a tanker with a registration number XZ 777 JJJ loaded with petroleum product suspected to be premium motor spirit was involved in a fatal accident near Fin-Niger Bus-Stop. The driver reportedly ran into a ditch under circumstances yet to be ascertained. The contents spilled on the road and it eventually went up in flames.”

He said the tanker and seven other vehicles were burnt, while five person were burnt beyond recognition and eight others sustained various degrees of burns.” Although the police put the casualty figure at five, Daily Sun learnt that more than 10 persons were consumed by the tanker fire.

Witnesses told Daily Sun that the cause of the tragedy should be traced to the tanker and another car on top speed which overtook the tanker earlier.
It was gathered that as the car suddenly moved in front of the long vehicle, the tanker driver attempted to maneuver to avoid ramming into it. In the process the tanker lost control, fell on its side, and spilled its cargo on the road.

The witnesses said the driver and conductor of the tanker tried to alert oncoming vehicles but the motorists failed to heed the warning and kept driving past.

It was gathered that the movement of the cars and mini-buses ignited the fire, leading to an explosion from the tanker.

Daily Sun gathered that the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations in the Lagos State Police Command, Mr. Abdullateef Junaid immediately proceeded to the scene to assist in the evacuation of the victims of the fire.

A witness who was identified as John Dickson said shortly after, the men of the Nigeria Police, Nigeria Civil Defence Service Corps, Lagos State Transport Management Authority (LASTMA) and sympathizers arrived they were able to rescue eight people who suffered severe burns.
As at press time, nothing was heard about those who reportedly ran towards the swamp for safey. Efforts by the police only yielded scanty results as only two persons were rescued.

Some residents and sympathizers lamented that more people went towards the swamp, but only two were rescued.
They pointed to items such as shoes, groundnuts and baked cow pea which littered the vicinity of the swamp as evidence that there were still more people in the area. Dickson told Daily Sun that, “a man and his pregnant wife and their little baby were burnt to death in the fire. Some people died inside the swamp. Some are still missing. I believe more than 10 persons were killed in the fire.”
Some of the victims were reportedly rushed to Holy Family Hospital, Satellite Town, while others were moved to the General Hospital.

In tears and anguish relatives of the deceased thronged the scene of the incident to search for their loved ones.
A relative who was identified as Achike told Daily Sun that he was sleeping in a hut on a farmland with other farmers when all of a sudden they heard a loud bang which was followed by a huge fire
Achike said: “We ran for our lives, you know the farmland is swampy. As we were running for safety, some of us fell into the swamp and we believe they are still there.”

He noted that he was able to see some of his colleagues who ran for dear life, “ but as I am talking to you, my best friend Okon is nowhere to be found. I am sure he drowned in the swamp.
Maduabuchi Okone who took an early bus from Mile-2 on his way to Republic of Benin said he managed to escape from the fire. “Our bus ran into the fire. We have to rush out from the bus. I broke my leg. So, I could not run far but other occupants of the bus ran towards the farmland. I am still surprised that when we converged to continue the journey, some of the passengers were nowhere to be found.”
Continuing, he said, the fire fighters should, as a matter of urgency assist in combing the swampy area to fish out those that were missing.

Another person who could not control his anger, Martins Okoye said he was suspecting that his wife Rose might be among the dead. “I have searched through all the hospitals the police directed me to visit but I can’t find her. I believe my wife may have been burnt beyond recognition.”

He said his wife was travelling to Badagry in an unknown vehicle but that since the incident, her phone had been switched off. “The time the incident happened coincided with the time my wife called me that she was on her way to Cotonou and that she was around Fin-Niger.
He said the government should take the issue of citizens seriously by making sure that those who were trapped in the swamp were rescued and that the identities of those who lost their lives in the fire tragedy were ascertained.

An artisan at the Dantata Bus Stop area of the Badagry-Mile 2 who was identified as Adeosun Yusuf, who was on his way to work when the incident occurred described what he saw as a waste of human lives.
Adeosun, a vulcaniser told Daily Sun that he was shocked at the spread of the fire and the way it consumed everything in its path...

“This is a bad way to start preparations for Christmas this December. I was on my way to work. I usually come out early because of people who go to work early and may have flat tyres. It was while I was just trying to set my tools of work that I heard a loud sound and when I looked up, I saw that it was a tanker carrying fuel that fell. Then, the driver and conductor got out and started making calls as I walked closer to see for myself the extent of damage.

“Within a few minutes, the tanker exploded and those of us trying to get to the scene of the accident had to run back for safety. I saw cars, buses and small trucks trying to escape the fire. The fire was so much that we were just unable to do anything.
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Ahmed Sanni Yerima may soon be arraigned in court for alleged child abuse and marriage to a minor. The former governor, who is now a senator, may be prosecuted over his marriage to an Egyptian minor, a 14-year old school girl, Eladly Maryam Maged Saleh. Investigation in Abuja showed that the federal government is currently studying a report which detailed the offences of Mr. Yerima. Sources at the Ministry of Justice headquarters in Abuja disclosed that the report recommending the prosecution of the senator, is ready for the approval of federal government. The Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke, told our correspondent in his office yesterday that the file has been returned to him to properly advice the government. Mr. Adoke had before directed our reporter to the office of the Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary of the ministry, whom he said was handling the investigative report submitted by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons and Other Related Matters (NAPTIP). Attorney General breaks silence Yesterday, the minister said, “I cannot answer your question right now. This is the file on my table (he raises the file for the journalist to see). I am reading it with a view to working on it and aligning it with the position of the Constitution..” Explaining his position, Mr. Adoke said: “The issue is that the man who contracted the marriage said he did so under the Islamic rites, which is at variance with the Constitution. The Constitution, on the other hand, recognises marriages under the Marriage Act and Customary Laws. So, as the chief law officer of the country, I have the duty to read the report and align it with the position of the Constitution, which supersedes any other law and which I swore to uphold. I am still in the process of doing that. As soon as I finish doing that I will let you know. But I will not act against the Constitution by playing to the gallery just because I want to become a hero in the eyes of the public.” According to NAPTIP, and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Mr. Yerima’s marriage breached Sections 21, 22 and 23 of the Child Rights Act, 2003. The Supreme Council for Sharia in Nigeria has sued the NHRC and NAPTIP over the matter asking the court to stop his prosecution. However, sources at the Ministry of Justice say he will still be prosecuted irrespective of what comes out of the case by the Sharia council because he clearly breached some of the laws of the country. The case, which is presently being heard before Justice Adamu Bello, president of Court 5 of the Abuja High Court, has been adjourned for hearing. International investigation The case has already attracted the attention of some international organisations including the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), which General Counsel, Joel Sollier, last week contacted its national central bureau in Lagos for relevant information. According to legal experts, one of the issues that is central to INTERPOL’s interest is the possible link to terrorism of the family of the under-aged girl, whose father was found in possessing of two different international passports. A copy of the NAPTIP investigative report obtained by NEXT revealed that the girl’s father, Maged Saleh Mohammed Eladly, who is a driver to Mr. Yerima, had two Egyptian passports: A01086511, issued on 17/10/2009 in Egypt, valid till 16/10/2016 and A01403462, issued on 07/03/2010 in Egypt, valid till 06/03/2017. Recommendation for Yerima’s prosecution According to the report, “The first passport issued in 2009 has the father’s profession as workman while the second passport issued in 2010 referred to his profession as export and import office owner.” Miss Eladly, a 14-year-old student with passport number: A01385736 issued in Egypt on February 28, 2010, was born on January 9, 1996 in Kalyobiya, Egypt and was accompanied in her marriage to 49-year-old Mr. Yerima by her father, ten relations and many well-wishers - 58 in all- sponsored by the senator who paid $100, 000 dowry or Sadaqi on the girl. The marriage was conducted by the Chief Imam of the Central Mosque, Abuja with a general form of sworn affidavit deposited at the Sharia Court of Appeal, Abuja. The report before the justice minister notes that, “Senator Ahmed Rufai Sani Yerima’s action contravenes Sections 12 (a & b), 13 (1 & 2), 14 (1) and 17 (a & b) of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Law Enforcement and Administration Act 2003 as amended. His refusal to disclose the age of the minor (victim), the school she attends, and her class amounts to willful obstruction of lawful enquiry contrary to Section 58 (A & B) of TIP Act.. His refusal to disclose the exact amount of money paid as dowry is with intention to deceive the agency (NAPTIP) by using Islam as a cover up. The above section could be invoked as an offence under the Act which he is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 5 years as the case may be. The Senator also breaches Sections 21, 22 and 23 of the Child Rights Act 2003, which is operational in FCT and liable on conviction to a fine of ₦500, 000.00 or imprisonment for a term of five years or both.” Considering that Mr. Yerima was also alleged to have encouraged foreigners to breach the laws of Nigeria, raising the need to share intelligence with the government of Egypt, the Nigeria Police was urged to join in the prosecution. Asked what the police was doing on its end, the Public Relations Officer, Nigeria Police Force, Abuja, Emmanuel Ojukwu, said the police do not have to duplicate the duties of NAPTIP, which is in charge of the case.
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A Libyan Airbus crashed when trying to land at Tripoli airport early on Wednesday, killing 103 passengers and crew aboard, but a Dutch child survived, Libyan officials said.jpeg&STREAMOID=c3NfeXhVhoyeG9txpARtYS6SYeqqxXXqBcOgKOfTXxQfZ3Y3sDPM4m3NzPc7VK2cnW_PgxgftuECOcfJwS6Jtlp$r8Fy$6AAZ9zyPuHJ25T7a9GKDSxsGxtpmxP0VAUyHL6IDcZHtmM2t7xO$FHdJG95dFi6y2Uma3vSsvPpVyo-

Libya's Afriqiyah airline said it operated the plane, which was flying from Johannesburg in South Africa to Tripoli. Planemaker Airbus said the jet was an A330-200 and the firm would help authorities with their investigation..

"All of the passengers and crew died except for one child," a Libyan security source told Reuters at Tripoli airport. "There were 93 passengers and 11 crew on board."

Libya's Transport Minister Mohamed Zidan said the 10-year-old child, who holds a Dutch passport, was in hospital.

The child did not have life-threatening injuries, the minister told a news conference near the crash site.

The casualties included 22 Libyans, including passengers and crew, and the rest were of various nationalities, a Libyan official at the airport said.

In a statement posted on its website, Afriqiyah Airways said its flight 8U771 had an accident during landing at Tripoli International airport. An airport official said the plane crashed at 6.10 a.m. local time (0410 GMT).

Airbus issued a statement confirming it had manufactured the plane involved in the crash. "Airbus will provide full technical assistance to the authorities responsible for the investigation into the accident," it said.

A South African foreign ministry spokeswoman said the plane had left Johannesburg en route to Libya the previous evening.

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Some Muslims are fond of condemning western morality – alcoholism, nudity, premarital sex and homosexuality often being cited as examples. But Muslims do not have a monopoly on morality. In the west, child marriages and sex with children are illegal. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for many Muslim countries..

I recently saw the documentary on the Dancing Boys of Afghanistan. It exposed an ancient custom called "bacha bazi" (boy for play), where rich men buy boys as young as 11 from impoverished families for sexual slavery. The boys are dressed in women's clothes and made to dance and sing at parties, before being carted away by the men for sex. Owning boys is considered a symbol of status and one former warlord boasted of having up to 3,000 boys over a 20-year period, even though he was married, with two sons. The involvement of the police and inaction of the government means this form of child prostitution is widespread.

The moral hypocrisy is outrageous in a country where homosexuality is not only strictly forbidden but savagely punished, even between two consenting adults. However, men who sodomise young boys are not considered homosexuals or paedophiles. The love of young boys is not a phenomenon restricted to Afghanistan; homosexual pederasty is common in neighbouring Pakistan, too. In my view, repression of sexuality and extreme gender apartheid is to blame.

And in the Middle East, it's young girls who are considered desirable and men are able to satisfy their lusts legally through child marriages. In Yemen, more than a quarter of girls are married before the age of 15. Cases of girls dying during childbirth are not unusual, and recently, one 12-year-old child bride even died from internal bleeding following sexual intercourse. In another case, a 12-year-old girl was married to an 80-year-old man in Saudi Arabia.

So why is the practice of child marriage sanctioned in Muslim countries? Unfortunately, ultra-conservative religious authorities justify this old tribal custom by citing the prophet Muhammad's marriage to Aisha. They allege Aisha was nine years old when the prophet married her. But they focus conveniently on selected Islamic texts to support their opinions, while ignoring vast number of other texts and historical information, which suggests Aisha was much older, putting her age of marriage at 19. Child marriage is against Islam as the Qur'an is clear that intellectual maturity is the basis for deciding age of marriage, and not puberty, as suggested by these clerics.

Whatever one's view on the prophet's marriage, no faith can claim moral superiority since child marriages have been practised in various cultures and societies across the world at one time or another. In modern times, though, marrying children is no longer acceptable and no excuse should be used to justify this.

I find the false adherence to Islamic principles and the "holier than thou" attitude of some Muslim societies similar to the blatant hypocrisy and double standards of 19th-century Victorian Britain, where the outward appearance of dignity and prudishness camouflaged an extreme prevalence of sexual and moral depravity behind closed doors. In those days, too, there were many men willing to pay to have sex with children – until a plethora of social movements arose that resulted in changes in laws and attitudes in society.

A similar shift in social attitudes is also required in traditional Muslim societies. Having boy sex slaves or child brides should not be seen as badges of honour. Instead, Muslims need to do more to attach shame to such practices; otherwise, acceptance of this behaviour will make them complicit in the sexual exploitation of children. I fail to understand why Muslims are so vocal on abuses by the west in Abu Ghraib, Guantánamo, Iraq and Afghanistan, but display moral blindness when it comes to children? It's about time this silence was broken, so these violations of innocence can be stopped.

A too-passive attitude in dealing with child abuse has rubbed off on Muslim communities in Britain, too. I have heard many stories at first hand of child sexual abuse and rape, which show that the issue is not being addressed at all. Those who have had the courage to speak out have been met with reactions of denial and shame. Such attitudes mean that children will continue to suffer in silence. Sexual abuse of children happens in all communities, as has been revealed by the recent Catholic church scandal. At least, they have finally started to take action. Muslim communities should learn from this and also start being more open, instead of continuing to sweeping the issue under the carpet.

I am finding that more and more Muslims feel it is their duty to criticise others for actions they consider sinful – quoting the following popular saying of Muhammad to justify their interference:

"If you see something wrong, you should correct it with your hand and if you are unable to, then speak out against it and if you cannot do that, then feel that it is wrong in your heart."

I wonder how, then, Muslims can remain silent when it comes to the sexual abuse of children?

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He was said to have brought her from Egypt

Criticisms continued to trail the alleged marriage of former governor of Zamfara State, Senator Ahmed Sani to a 13-year old Egyptian girl.pix200707062243171.jpg

The former governor reportedly paid $100,000 as bride price to the parents of the minor.

But in a statement made available to our correspondent in Lokoja on Monday, the National Council of Women Societies condemned the action of the senator, describing it as shameful.

Speaking through its National President, Hajia Ramatu Usman, the umbrella women’s organisation said Sani’s action did not come to Nigerian women as a surprise because, according to them, many northern governors had been using religion as an excuse for not passing the Child Rights Act.

She further stated that the council had been mounting a campaign against young girls being given out for marriage at ridiculously early ages of 12 or 13 years, adding that the action was against all reasoning.

According to Usman, “Vesico vaginal fistula has been attributed to under age marriages due to the practice of early marriages in Nigeria, where young girls are given out for marriage at ridiculously early ages as 12 or 13 years. They get pregnant and when they are ready to deliver, their pelvises are so small for the babies to pass through.

“The baby gets stuck in the birth canal and in some cases dies. The baby‘s head wears a hole between the birth canal and the bladder (VVF) or rectum (RVF).

“So, when the dead baby is eventually delivered, the young mother is left with a dead child and she begins to drain urine and/or stool continuously. She develops sores on her skin and smells horribly from the constant drips of urine and stool on her clothes.”

The body therefore advised parents to avoid giving out their under age daughters in marriage in order to check cases of this health risk, which it said is particularly common in the northern part of Nigeria.

The statement further said, “It is a shame that while we are seeking ways to view closely what pushes parents into giving out their underage daughters into early marriages, a former governor of a state is celebrating this act of child trafficking and abuse.”

It also called on well-meaning Nigerians to mount pressure on northern governors to immediately commence work on the Child Rights Act.

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Escaped python strangles child

A pet Burmese python measuring more than 8 feet long broke out of a terrarium and strangled a 2-year-old girl in her bedroom Wednesday at a central Florida home, authorities said. Shaiunna Hare was already dead when paramedics arrived at about 10 a.m., Lt. Bobby Caruthers of the Sumter County Sheriff's Office said. Charles Jason Darnell, the snake's owner and the boyfriend of Shaiunna's mother, discovered the snake missing from its terrarium and went to the girl's room, where he found it on the girl and bite marks on her head, Caruthers said. Darnell, 32, stabbed the snake until he was able to pry the child away. "The baby's dead!" a sobbing caller from the house screamed to a 911 dispatcher in a recording. "Our stupid snake got out in the middle of the night and strangled the baby." Authorities did not identify the caller and removed the person's name from the recording. "She got out of the cage last night and got into the baby's crib and strangled her to death," the caller said. Authorities removed the snake from the home Wednesday afternoon after obtaining a search warrant. Once outside the small, tan home, bordered by cow pastures, the snake was placed in a bag then inside a dog crate. The snake was still alive. this people never hear python na wild animal????????? One cute girl gone because of sheer carelesness. I hope they will be prosecuted. Rubbish
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