Dehiwala anaconda's life is in trouble

Life of anaconda that swallowed her partner .....
 now at risk

Inside sources of the Dehiwala National Zoological Gardens say that the female anaconda that swallowed the male anaconda sometime back is facing a risk to her life because of the discomfort that she has faced and is vomitting out the prey.From the time this pair of anacondas were donated to the Dehiwala zoo, each anaconda had been fed 15 fowls for their meals and thus 30 fowls had been given to both of them each week.

However, the meal which had been given in this manner has been drastically reduced in recent times and each anaconda is being given only 3 fowls per week with both anacondas receiving a quota of 6 fowls for their meals; a decision taken by keepers of these animals. As such, the meals received by these animals has been reduced by 9 fowls per week.

it is understood that this change had been effected under instructions of the veterinarians of the Zoological Gardens. it is said that those who provide the food to the anacondas had made no attempt to find out whether each anaconda is receiving this quota of food and are consuming the meal given and the fowls are just thrown into their enclosure, immediately after which they go away.

When reptiles such as anacondas and pythons remain in safety until the prey they have swallowed is digested; because of the noise created by the crowd that came to see this female anaconda after it swallowed the male anaconda and because of the electric lights that flashed around by the media personnel to click photos of this animal, it had faced great discomfort.

The Zoologists point out that the animal which was in an environment filed with commotion and was subjected to fright, it had once again vomitted the anaconda it had swallowed.

Of the officers who are serving the Zoo, the positions down the line of the officers is that of animal caretaker and the categories function for each section in positions above the said post as Assistant Caretaker Security of animals and Caretaker Security of animals, respectively. However, sources reveal that only in the reptile section such a procedure does not operate and that animal caretakers function in their capacity as and how they want. Internal sources mention that there are no higher officials to look into the functions of animal caretakers of the reptile section and that the higher officers too, with the motive of grabbing various benefits have left room for the animal caretakers to function the way the way they want. These sources further reveal that activities of the reptile section have reached a stage where even the veterinarians tend to approve any action of animal caretakers and it is further emphasised that that the negligible attitude of animal caretakers of the reptile section as well as the higher officers have severely resulted in the risk to the life faced by the anaconda which swallowed the male anaconda and is vomitting it.

Hasitha Kuruppu, Dilhan Wimalka