Three days at Karachi zoo, and imported pythons already contract allergies

Experts blame unhygienic enclosures, lack of heating arrangements.

KARACHI: After being given temporary custody of over 30 imported non-poisonous pythons, the Karachi zoo is struggling to take care of the slithering reptiles and is unable to provide them with proper accommodation. Three days after being brought to the zoo, some of the pythons have reportedly contracted allergies, while the younger ones have become more aggressive, The Express Tribune learnt on Wednesday.

Red spots have appeared on the yellow-skinned, 10-feet-long reticulated albino python, which has been made to live in an enclosure that was previously occupied by venomous snakes. The enclosure is also littered with mites and other insects.

“The allergy is spreading, and this python would soon become weak,” said a reptile expert on the condition of anonymity. “No one at the zoo is qualified to handle these snakes. As a matter of fact, they don’t even know the names of the species.”

Snake enthusiasts in the city had imported 31 non-venomous snakes, including a boa constrictor, and ball and reticulated pythons, from Oklahoma in the United States. The reptiles had left Oklahoma around three weeks back, and landed at Jinnah airport on Sunday. However, Pakistan Customs handed them over to the Karachi Zoological Gardens, as the importers had apparently failed to provide a no-objection certificate from the National Council for Conservation of Wildlife (NCCW).

Most of the pythons are young, and therefore need careful handling, but the zoo administration seems to be ill-equipped to take care of them. “The pythons have been kept in dusty enclosures, which were previously occupied by venomous snakes. No one has bothered to clean the place, which is also infested with insects,” said a snake enthusiast, who was among the hundreds of people who have visited the zoo since Monday.

Some young reptile enthusiasts, who import and breed large snakes, said that authorities needed to put in place proper heating arrangements to keep the pythons alive. “There is just one 200 watt light bulb in the enclosure where two of the largest pythons are kept. That is not enough. Pythons can go weeks without food, but they get uncomfortable in the absence of heat,” said a person who deals in pythons.

“There is little that can be expected from zookeepers. Until recently, they didn’t even know what to call a Keelback Water Snake. And they were feeding it birds, instead of toads,” the dealer added.

Another snake enthusiast who had visited the zoo, said that young pythons, which were just a few weeks old, seemed to have become aggressive. “They are fighting for territory. They are usually wary of human interaction, and need some place to hide.”

When contacted, Karachi zoo director Bashir Sadozai, told The Express Tribune that he was out of town and was therefore unable to say exactly what had happened to the pythons. “But [they probably caught] allergies due to the change in climate and water.”

The entire cost, including freight, for bringing the snakes to the city came to around Rs400,000. Entry fee to the Reptile House, where the pythons are being kept, is Rs10 per person. Adil Ahmed, the owner of the trading company that booked the snake shipment from the US, said it would still take a couple of days before he received the necessary document to satisfy Pakistan Customs.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 21^st, 2013.