Python bites girl at fishing/outdoors show in Schaumburg

A 4-year-old girl was bitten while petting a 17-foot-long python Thursday at the Chicagoland Fishing, Travel and Outdoor Expo in Schaumburg.

But the injury to her neck was not life-threatening, according to Schaumburg police. It happened around 5:30 p.m. at the show, produced by National Marine Manufacturers Association Sportsshow.

The snake was displayed by the Chicago Herpetological Society as part of an exhibit for the Chauncey's Great Outdoors radio program, said Ellen Hopkins, spokeswoman for the show.

A handler was removing the snake from a container at the time the girl was petting it, she said. Other reptiles in the display are smaller, so they are kept in tanks and not offered to the public to touch. The reptile society has been a longtime exhibitor at the show, Hopkins said.

The show removed the snake immediately, and it was not back on display Friday or Saturday, Hopkins said.

"This was a unique situation. This has never before happened," Hopkins said. "Safety is something we take very seriously."

The girl was taken, as a precaution, to Alexian Brothers Medical Center in Elk Grove Village for treatment, Schaumburg police Sgt. Christy Lindhurst said.

The police and the village's animal-control officer are investigating, Lindhurst said.

Pythons are not poisonous. But they can carry bacteria in their mouths, such as salmonella, that can cause infection in a bite, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

The Daily Herald is one of the sponsors of the show.