Cop Saves Woman in Python's Death Grip

A cop and several firemen struggled to rescue an Oregon pet shop owner after she stuck her hand in a python's cage, the Eugene Register-Guard reports. Teresa Rossiter was showing off 12-foot Darla to customers when the snake bit her, wrapped around her, and knocked her down. A policeman came to cut off the $850 python's head, but Rossiter begged him to find another way.

He tried prying Darla's mouth open, but cut his fingers on its teeth. Firemen showed up and poured water on the snake to distract it, to no avail. Finally a fireman opened its mouth with a screwdriver, and the cop wrangled the surly python back into her cage. “We don’t really have any training in that,” he said. “This was a new one for me.” (More snake stories.)