Chennai:
They were brought from the Czech Republic last October. And now having settled down and acclimatised, they are all set to meet visitors. The Madras Crocodile Bank Trust (MCBT) will unveil their anaconda display in the beginning of September and people will get an opportunity to view the huge reptiles that they have so far seen only in Hollywood movies.
“The enclosure that has been set up for the reptiles will replicate the south American rainforest habitat. It includes a waterbody and a land area which will allow the snakes to bask in the Chennai sunshine,” says MCBT director Colin James Stevenson. Anacondas require access to both land and water, even though they spend a lot of time in the water.
The MCBT will also put up a underwater viewing facility. Native to South America, they are the heaviest snakes.
The three yellow anacondas (Eunectes Notaeus) and two green anacondas (Eunectes murinus) were acquired as part of an exchange programme with the Protivin Crocodile Zoo in the Czech Republic. MCBT, which is the only zoo in India to house both the green and yellow anacondas, hopes that the iconic species will give a boost to their snake talks.
“People will want to see them, so we can use it to talk about snakes and dispel some of the myths surrounding them,” says Stevenson. “Our aim is to create awareness about snakes through our talks and interactions with visitors.”
Since their arrival, the anacondas have been quarantined. “They have been kept in an internal, room-sized enclosure and their health was monitored regularly ,” says Stevenson, who wanted to ensure that the reptiles were well cared for and calm enough to handle visitors viewing them before putting them on display.
The settling-in period has also helped the keepers get used to the snakes’ behaviour — eating patterns, basking behaviour and shedding cycles. “Being reptiles, they do not eat everyday. We normally feed them once a week,” says Stevenson.
Two-full time snake keepers have also been trained in anaconda husbandry. Detailed observations of the snakes are made everyday and the position of each anaconda is also recorded throughout the day. “We have to ensure that we have got their enclosure habitat right,” he says.
At the moment, the green anacondas are around five feet tall (1.5 metres). While the females can grow up to 16ft, the males get to be eight or nine feet. Stevenson is hopeful that the anacondas will be a major draw. “They have quite attractive markings and are a pretty species. They will be very popular with he visitors,” he says.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Chennai / by Priya M Menon, TNN / August 07th, 2012