Mr. Beauzile takes his class’s pet ball python, “Carnage” home for the weekend, but not before showing her off to our cameras.
BRONX, NY – Diagrams of the human body, the solar system, and even posters explaining photosynthesis are all things you might expect to see in a science classroom, but visitors to Mr. Beauzile’s Truman classroom are in for a shock when they see his class “pet” slithering around her tank at the back of the room.
“I hate dogs and I hate cats,” according to Mr. Beauzile. “You don’t really have to walk a snake, so it’s a low-maintenance pet.”
“Carnage,” as the snake is known, is a female ball python. Mr. Beauzile says the snake is indigenous to parts of West Africa. He uses the snake as a means to get his students interested in science.
“It get’s their curiosity going, you know, generates some questions,” he said.
Carnage is a calm, docile snake and is not venomous. According to Mr. Beauzile, she is a constrictor, meaning she will wrap herself around her prey until it stops breathing, then she swallows it whole. So far, only one class has gotten to see Carnage at meal time.
“The staff is scared to death,” Mr. Beauzile said, laughing. “I’ve heard some teachers are scared to come into my room because of the snake.”
Occasionally, he can be seen walking the hallways with the snake around his arm, typically when taking her from school to home and back.
“I clear hallways. Security guards run,” Mr. Beauzile said with a wide grin. “I’m not going to call any names.”
He says that ball pythons can grow up to 6 feet long. He plans to keep Carnage until she gets to be about 3 or 4 feet, and then he will donate her to a breeding zoo.