(MY) dead snakes

[Guest guest]

*2008/08/12 - New Straits Times

* Snake house of death shockerBy : Heidi Foo and Dharshini Balan

<news

Email to friend [image: Email to

Friend]<http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Tuesday/National/2318938/Article/\

semailpull_html>

Print

article [image: Print Article]

<http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Tuesday/National/2318938/Article/pppull_\

index_html>

 

<http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php>

[image: This Brazilian baby anaconda was one of 13 born in the Kuala Pilah

Snake Farm in May. But, almost all the snakes there have died.]

This Brazilian baby anaconda was one of 13 born in the Kuala Pilah Snake

Farm in May. But, almost all the snakes there have died.

 

SEREMBAN: Almost all of the 70 snakes at the government-run Kuala Pilah

Snake Farm near here have died in the past few months.

The dead snakes are believed to include a green anaconda from Brazil, which

made the headlines in May when it gave birth to 13 offspring.

 

The anaconda was one of a pair that had arrived at the snake farm at the Ulu

Bendul Forest Reserve here in March.

 

It is believed all the anacondas, including the babies, have died.

 

State DAP chairman Anthony Loke Siew Fook, who highlighted the matter, said

almost RM1 million was spent on the farm, which opened in February.

About 30 species of snakes were brought in from various parts of the world

but only two or three Malaysian and Thai species are surviving.

 

Among the snakes at the farm were six red-tailed boa imported from Brazil

and a Burmese python from Myanmar.

 

Others included the blood python, Borneo short-tailed python, Amazon tree

boa, Columbia boa, Brazillian rainbow boa, Albino Burmese python, Indian

python and the Bolivian anaconda.

 

When it was first opened, the 4ha farm attracted thousands of visitors and

was the pride of Kuala Pilah. But things are different these days.

 

" Although the farm remains open, there are hardly any visitors. We don't

know what the future of the farm is going to be, " Loke said, adding that so

much of the state's money was spent on the project but it had not been

properly coordinated and monitored.

 

Loke claimed that no proper research was done about the snakes' natural

habitat and living conditions before they were brought to the farm.

 

" What is even more shocking is that we were told that the caretakers who

were in charge of the monkeys and orang utans were given the task of caring

for these rare species of snakes. "

 

Loke said the matter should be investigated, and the DAP would demand a

detailed explanation at the coming state legislative assembly sitting this

month.

 

Among other matters, he said it was important to find out who had been

responsible for procuring the snakes, the preparations undertaken before the

snakes were brought in and what caused their deaths.

 

Attempts to get comments from the Wildlife Department failed.