TF? Father let's his kids play with huge 19ft pet python (photos)

Eric LeBlanc, 43, loves reptiles so much he lives
with hundreds of snakes and lizards. A fire at
his reptile store killed some of his animals so he
moved the rest into his home where they frolic
with his kids. Despite the danger the animals
could pose he has no problem allowing his three
children Erica, three, Larry, four, and Katie,
seven, to handle them.
“The worst bite my daughter got was from a
bearded dragon,” said Eric.
“My son got bit in the forehead one time by a
ball python when he was around two-years-old.
“He opened one of the tubs after me and
basically startled it – the python jumped up and
bit him on the nose.”
His store is undergoing repairs and while the
reptiles live the family, he is trying to raise his
children to have no fear of them.
He said: “They make great pets. They don’t have
fleas and are low maintenance so you don’t have
to take them to a vet regularly like a dog or a
cat.
“I have Shelby a seven-year-old albino lavender
reticulated python – these are some of the
biggest snakes in the world.
“Obviously the bigger the snake the bigger the
teeth, so it’s dangerous – but Shelby is very
placid. She is over 19ft long and believe me I
know what she is capable of.
“When you hold her you can feel her moving you
– she is like one big muscle.
“When she is playing with the kids she really
pulls them.
“They can really feel the strength of her – you’ve
got to have total respect for these animals and
that’s what I have.”
He doesn't seem to be putting his children in
danger however as he insists they are safe and
won't leave them without supervision. He said:
“In this country everybody has an opinion.
“Some people think it’s safe for kids to shoot
guns.
“I won’t let my kids shoot guns but I’m
comfortable with them being around reptiles – I
guess we’re all pretty individual in how we bring
our children up.”
“My kids have been bitten by pythons and
dragons but they’re always fine,” added Eric.
“Growing up I was bitten by snakes, dogs and
lizards but my biggest accident was when I fell
from a tree – anything can happen – kids will be
kids.”
He says the children now know so much about
snakes they can tell different kinds snakes apart
and know to leave them alone or approach them.
Eric also owned a 7ft 2ins crocodile monitor
lizard called Jellybean, which was allowed to
play with his children – unfortunately he died in
the fire.