Amazed Dad Loves Filming His Daughter’s ‘Gentle’ Friendship With 15-Foot Pythons

Aug 09, 2022

Every child is unique and finds joy in different hobbies and extracurricular activities. For instance, some kids may have more fun playing sports while others have more fun drawing and coloring. Children also have different levels of comfort in different situations and may find certain animals or places scary, while others find them fun and enjoyable.

Little Emi is a young girl who is known for her friendship with a giant python. While most children would understandably be terrified of the animal, Emi has had a blast with her slithery friend. The pair have even had tea parties together! Emi and Cher, the python, are two of the most unlikely friends the world has ever seen.

The pair first met before Emi was even 2 years old. She and Cher are actually only a year apart in age. And since Ed has helped Emi feel comfortable around the snake, the child has no reason to fear that something terrible would ever happen to her, making it easy for her to befriend the creature.

While some people may worry about how safe it is to build such a friendly relationship with a python, the large snake species may not be as dangerous as people think. According to National Geographic, it is very rare for a python to attack a human since humans are not the animal’s natural prey.

Fortunately, Cher is domestic and trusts Emi wholeheartedly, and the young girl feels the same. Ed Taoka, Emi’s father, hopes that their relationship will change the stigma behind such massive snakes.

According to the Daily Mail, Emi is good friends with not just Cher but also a snake named Sonny, who is also a 15-foot python. While many people may find it strange for a child under the age of 10 to be friends with the species, Emi and her father are working to change people’s minds. 

Emi first started interacting with the snakes when she was just over 1 year old. However, Ed explained that he would never leave his daughter unsupervised with Sonny and Cher. “When you invite any pet or animal into your house you have to expect to be bitten – all animals can bite,” he said. “But I would never leave my daughter alone with any animal.”

Still, Ed has uploaded several videos documenting Emi’s friendship with the snakes. “I enjoy filming the gentle interactions between my daughter and the snakes – it just amazes me on a daily basis how well they behave,” Ed said.

While some people were amazed and learned a lot from the videos, others criticized Ed for his parenting tactics. According to HuffPost, many people left concerned comments. One person said, “My first instinct would be to get that python off that child.” On top of that, experts also noted that pets could always pose a safety risk since they can sometimes be unpredictable.

However, Ed has continued spreading his message that Emi is perfectly safe and that it is possible to be friends with non-human creatures. “As soon as you say a large constrictor and a child, everyone thinks the worst – that’s what I’m trying to change,” Ed said.

He added, “As long as you don’t frighten or hurt them, they are very gentle and docile animals. They are actually nicer than most humans I’ve encountered.”

What do you think about this story? Do you have any exotic pets? Let us know, and feel free to send this to your family and friends.