Young Girl’s Bond With Her Pet Pythons Goes Viral

Whoever said cats or dogs are the only suitable pets for children may not have experienced having a python as a pet while growing up. Emi is such a girl with an unconventional pet choice. It was her father who surprised her by bringing home two reticulated pythons.

Ed Taoka is Emi’s father. Besides working as a massage therapist in South East England, he also runs a very unusual household. Along with his seven-year-old daughter Emi, Ed also lives with two reticulated pythons he named after Sonny and Cher, a popular 1960s Hollywood couple.

Reticulated pythons are a type of python found in Southeast Asia. They are known for being the largest snake species in the world. Plus, they are excellent swimmers. Despite their size and strength, they are non-venomous.

Though reticulated pythons are non-venomous, they are specially built with powerful constrictors that can pose a deadly risk to anyone, especially if these creatures are not handled carefully. Despite this, Ed and his seven-year-old daughter Emi have chosen to keep two of them.

It’s always better to be safe than sorry. Thus, Ed is making sure he is taking the necessary precautions. Though Emi is not at all fearful and is actually confident in her ability to interact with the snakes safely, Ed does not allow Emi to have unsupervised playtime with them. He makes sure always to be present and in the same room as her when she is handling them. 

Ed has spoken about the close bond that has developed between his daughter Emi and the snakes. According to Ed, Emi’s interest in reptiles began when she was just a toddler. In an interview, he shared that the first time Emi expressed a desire to touch the snakes, she was just 18 months old.

Despite her young age, Emi is not the only one in her family with a fascination for reptiles. Her father, Ed, developed an interest in snakes at a young age as he found them to have a positive impact on his mental health. In an interview, Ed shared that snakes have helped him to overcome social anxiety. He also experiences a sense of calm when handling them.

Ed does his best to be a responsible pet owner and caregiver. He doesn’t take any details for granted, especially when it comes to his daughter Emi’s interactions with the two 15-foot pythons. He is very much aware that any animal, no matter how gentle or well-trained, has the potential to bite or cause an accident.

In an interview, Ed shared his views on the responsibilities and risks involved in welcoming pets or animals into one’s home. He explained that it is important to be prepared for the possibility of being bitten by any animal, as all have the potential to do so. 

It is easier to panic and lose composure than to be gentle, especially when faced with a giant python that could easily squeeze the life out of you. But Emi is in a class of her own. From a young age, Emi has enjoyed interacting with the two pythons. 

The ability to be relaxed in the midst of two large reptiles may be unfamiliar to most children. However, Ed’s daughter quickly learned that she needed to be calm when interacting with Sonny and Cher. Of course, it helped that Ed was similarly calm when handling the pythons.

Compared to most toys available in the market, snakes are actually safer in Ed’s eyes. According to Ed, supervised interactions with constrictor snakes like Sonny and Cher are relatively danger-free. In fact, he believes they are safer than trampolines and bouncy castles.

Ed is proud of the fact that the reticulated pythons he named Sonny and Cher are actually very mellow creatures. He described them as docile animals with calm personalities. They are not known to be aggressive. 

Human nature is a lot similar to the nature of animals. Ed’s two snakes, Sonny and Cher, are generally friendly and happy when they get to spend time with his daughter, Emi. However, their behavior slightly changes during feeding time.

Ed’s decision to share his experiences with pythons on social media was motivated by a desire to educate others about these animals. Many people may have a fear or negative perception of pythons due to their wild reputation.

Ed is constantly amazed by the gentle and docile nature of Sonny and Cher and their special relationship with his daughter, Emi. He enjoys capturing and sharing the peaceful interactions between the snakes and Emi on social media, as it never ceases to amaze him how well they get along.

Ed believes that these creatures do not pose a threat to those around them as long as they are nurtured in a domestic setting.  He has shared pictures of his daughter, Emi, interacting with the snakes on social media in an effort to educate others and dispel negative stereotypes about large reptiles. 

One of the primary concerns people have after seeing pictures of Ed’s daughter interacting with the family’s two pythons, Sonny and Cher, is whether the snakes pose a danger to her. Ed has taken steps to educate his daughter on how to interact with the 15-foot pythons safely.

According to Ed, pythons like Sonny and Cher are not dangerous as long as they are not frightened or hurt. He has found them to be more kind than many humans he has encountered. The species of python that Sonny and Cher belong to can live for 20 to 30 years.