Shocking scene: Little William Winans, left, was attacked by a neighbor's ball python while resting in his crib
A baby from Matoon, Illinois, narrowly escaped death after being attacked by a neighbor's two-foot-long python that slithered into his crib.
William Winans, who celebrated his first birthday this week, was treated for bites and bruise marks and is doing well, his father, Devin Winans, told ABC News.
‘If the snake had wrapped around his neck, honestly, we probably would not be having his birthday today,’ Winans said. At around 11pm on Monday, Winans said he heard his son crying and went to check on him. When the concerned dad felt around the toddler’s crib, he said he felt something ‘slimy.’
Terrible surprise: The toddler's father said he felt around his son's crib and came across something 'slimy'
‘I immediately turned the light on and saw the snake, a ball python wrapped around his foot, constricting it and trying to eat his foot,’ Mr Winans recalled.
The father used a blanket to yank the snake off his son’s tiny foot and turned the animal over to the Coles County Animal Shelter.
Close call: The python wrapped itself around the baby's foot, constricted it and tried to eat it
Shelter manager Julie Deters said it is not clear why the snake attacked the baby, but said that in the hot summer months, animals turn more irritable.
William was taken to Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center to be treated for a bite, a bruise and scratches.
The baby’s mother, Sara Lacey, said her son stayed calm, never crying until his wounds were cleaned.
Police determined the reptile somehow escaped its home next door and issued a citation against its owner, 23-year-old Shelby Guyette.
Pet owner: Shelby Guyette, 23, has been issued a citation for allowing her python to slither away
Deputy Chief Jason Taylor told the Herald & Review that it has been determined that Guyette did not have a secure tank, making it possible for the snake to make its way into the next-door apartment.
Guyette is now scheduled to appear in court.
Meanwhile, the terrifying run-in with the python caused the Winans to move out of the building on North 22nd Street.
Risky: Police determined that Guyette did not have a secure tank for her dangerous pet
source: dailymail