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The Cutting Edge By Mariette
TEAM TALK
ROLL OUT THE RED CARPET FOR OUR STARS !
Stars – the rich and famous we associate with Hollywood … the red carpet with all its glitz and glamour … the Oscars … the fans … the paparazzi .
Who would have thought that we have our very own “ Stars ” here at the Bayworld Snake Park in Port Elizabeth , South Africa ? Living a life filled with bliss - where every need is being catered to - whereby room service is available each and every day 24 / 7 - whereby food is prepared and offered without having to work for it - where medical care is available at the snap of a finger .
Meet our very own special “ Stars ”, a male Burmese Python ( Python bivittatus ), one of the largest species of snakes found in the world , averaging at a length of approximately 3.7 meters ( although some specimens can reach a length of up to almost 6 meters )! These large constrictors naturally occur and are found throughout Southern- and Southeast Asia . Not only are these animals excellent swimmers who love being in and around water and who can submerge themselves under water for up to 30 minutes , but are also excellent climbers due to the fact that they have prehensile tails ( think of how a monkey use their tail to hold or grasp on to branches ).
Our “ Stars ” joined the Bayworld Snake Park 12 years ago as a young animal who weighed in at only 1.5 ( one-point-five !) kg . Believe it or not … he was kept as a form of security at a local factory ! The factory closed shop and the animal was left alone to fend for itself . He had no food . No water . No shelter . No heat . No medical care . Think about this … he was left to fend for himself … severely emaciated … cold … nobody to give him the love and attention he deserved .
Fortunately the tides changed for him and he soon made his way to the Snake Park . Once he arrived , we soon discovered that the animal displayed behaviour whereby he would “ star gaze ” up in to the air and thus earned the name “ Stars ”. Once put on to display , we soon learnt that he was not a suitable candidate to make his public debut as yet . He would strike towards the glass of his enclosure as soon as he caught a glimpse of his paparazzi ( aka the visitors ).
We soon gathered that this behaviour was due to him being previously kept in a container where he could not view any horizontal movement and thus could only see out via the top of his container . He was thus not used to being admired in the proper , fashionable way !
Albeit , he is small for his age , which is understandable due to the conditions under which he was kept and which subsequently stunted his growth , our special boy started
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