Anaconda to be kept at zoo for more tests

President of the Zoological Society Gupte Lutchmedial says he cannot give a date when the near 18-foot long anaconda caught on Sunday in Caroni will be released into the wild. He said vetenarians at the Emperor Valley Zoo in Port-of Spain need more time to conduct tests on the creature and to ensure that it could feed properly.

“This is a scientific thing,” he said. “Although I do not want them to harass the snake, I do not wish to deprive those who want to learn more about the snake. This snake is almost 18 feet long, with good build, perfect skin and no battle scars. Not many people will get to see a snake like this,” he said.

Lutchmedial said he noticed that in a CNC3 news poll conducted on Wednesday evening, over 80 per cent of voters did not want the snake released.  “There is a fear factor with this large snake and people are concerned about it being released back into the wild. People are also paranoid that it will have problems adapting to the new environment,” he said.

He said the snake might either go in search of its old haunts or establish a new territory where it might encounter predators and diseases. The snake's health has improved in the time it has spent at the zoo Lutchmedial said. “She is moving around more and more in the night-time and her body is not coiled up as much, which shows that she is more relaxed.”  

He has been observing the snake's night-time behaviour and believes it is beginning to pick up the scents of the birds, monkeys and rabbits in cages nearby that she would consider potential prey.