Experts to check on anacondas' health

 The original article can be found here

The four green anacondas-two males and two females-are doing fine and are kept under observation. They are normal and doing fine, said zoo authorities on Sunday, a day after a female green anaconda died due to heart failure. The zoo has contacted Dr Vasanth Shetty, dean of the veterinary college, who is a member of the zoo health committee, to conduct ultra-sonographic examination. He is likely to come here this week, the zoo authorities said. The authorities believe that there is nothing abnormal about the four surviving anacondas given that they are active and their food intake is normal. 

Mysore zoo is trying to simulate the conditions of an Amazon rainforest in a 40 ft X 20 ft area to house the five anacondas, received as gift from Sri Lanka National Zoo in Colombo.

Dr Suresh Kumar, the veterinarian attached to the zoo told The Times of India that the anaconda that died was a weakling when it arrived, but the Sri Lankan zoo authorities had told them that it would survive. While the other four anacondas have gained a minimum of 40 grams since their arrival from Sri Lanka in November-end, the one that died actually lost weight. "We contacted reptile experts and Sri Lanka zoo authorities while we focused on it. But it died due to heart failure owing to traumatic injury to heart during blood collection. Experts suggested that it is very rare," he stated. 

The Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens, popularly known as the Mysore Zoo, will become the first zoo in the country to house green anacondas from Tuesday.
The public and lakhs of tourists visiting the zoo can have a look at the world’s largest snake from next week. Anacondas can grow up to 20 ft in captivity.
Five medium-size anacondas, including two male, will arrive in Chennai on a cargo flight from Sri Lanka on Tuesday morning. The Mysore zoo authorities will bring them here by road. National Zoological Gardens of Sri Lanka in Dehiwala had gifted five green anacondas as a goodwill gesture last year.
Executive director of Mysore zoo, K. Ravi, told DC that the anacondas will be a prized possession, and the zoo would be happy to give its visitors something new and rare to see. He added, “For the first time, people will get a chance to have a glimpse of the giant snakes in real life.”
The official said that special enclosures are getting ready, and for the time being space has been created in one of the existing enclosures.
“The zoo already has a range of snake species like reticulated python, whose characteristics are similar to anaconda, and cobras. However, special arrangements are being made to create an artificial environment that mimics their natural habitat. Anacondas require temperatures around 27 degrees, and a good amount of space,” Ravi revealed.
It is learnt that the Sri Lankan government has also decided to gift anacondas to the Ahmedabad Zoo, and the consignment will also land in Chennai on Tuesday.
Karnataka Zoo Authority chairman, N. Nanjundaswamy, who visited Sri Lanka to finalise the deal, said proudly that it is a milestone in the history of the zoo.

It is routine to draw blood when the animals are shipped. Otherwise they will not be allowed to be transported. Normally blood is drawn from veins but for reptiles it is difficult to be locate veins and hence it is drawn from the heart, he explained. According to him, the four anacondas from which blood is drawn from the heart don't have any problem. "But we will subject them to ultra-sonographic examination to be sure," he stated.  

The authorities said it requires some 10 minutes for each of the reptile to be diagnosed and they won't be shifted to the zoo hospital but will be examined at their enclosure. It is a simple procedure, they stated.

The zoo officials ruled out that severe cold conditions in the city for the illness of the anaconda that died. Even when the city recorded below 8 degrees Celsius temperature, which is lowest minimum in over a century, the temperature at their enclosure was maintained over 22 degrees Celsius. The heater was kept on round the clock, they stated.