The snake is often a symbol of evil in folklore, dreaded by most people, but four months ago, 21-year-old Hassan imported 16 pythons from Oklahoma City, USA, to keep as pets. Though he refused to disclose the total cost, he mentioned that they cost him between Rs1.6 and Rs1.7 million. “Just this one, which is the largest python in Pakistan, was for $9,000,” he said, gesturing to the female het albino reticulated python coiled around his neck.
“I’ve got two female het albino reticulated pythons, which I keep with that male Type 2 albino super tiger for mating, alternating them every three days,” he pointed to a sliding glass case in which a 13-feet long yellow python was sticking its tongue out and undulating its neck to attract the female.
“They take three to four months to lay eggs after mating, and 60 more days for the eggs to hatch. If the female gets pregnant, she will eat less and shed more skin,” he explained. Lifting a piece of dry snakeskin about 10 centimetres long, he said that shedding was something that was customary for snakes.
Hassan added that he also had 11 baby pythons, each measuring about a foot in length and having the potential to grow up to at least five or six feet.
Discussing their diet, he said that the largest female python ate one full-sized rabbit a week. “She slowly glides to the rabbit, grabs it with her bilateral mouth, which can open to thrice its actual size, coils around the mammal, squeezes it until it suffocates and then devours it,” he described. “Snakes swallow their prey whole.”
When Hassan was asked if any of his snakes had ever attacked him, he immediately rolled up his sleeves to show the scars caused when one of his pythons plunged its teeth into his arm. “He has bitten me twice out of fear,” he said. “Although the wounds bled, I did not rush to the hospital.”
“Hardly anyone comes to us for the treatment of snakes,” Dr Isma Gheewala, a veterinarian at Defence’s Animal Care Clinic, told The Express Tribune, adding that people here hardly kept reptiles as pets. “Although pythons are non-venomous, they do have the ability to kill humans, though it’s not something they often do.” She added, however, that the snake-keeper must have adequate training to be able to keep pythons of such sizes as pets.
“I got a No Objection Certificate from the Sindh Wildlife Department to allow me to keep them at home,” Hassan said. “I also got a permit to trade them.”
Javed Ahmed Maher, the chief conservator of the provincial wildlife department, told The Express Tribune that imported species could be kept as pets if one had the Certificate of Lawful Possession. “Pythons can legally be kept in residential areas since they are non-venomous,” he explained. “In my opinion, no major training is required to keep them, because you become familiar with their nature very soon.” He added that pythons could also be traded if one had a dealership licence.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 3rd, 2014.
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Actually, Irfan, the risks involved with keeping these snakes has been demonstrated to be quite miniscule overall, especially when compared to the keeping of dogs, cattle, horses, and many other traditionally domesticated animals where the risks are either accepted or overlooked. Since 1990, 10 fatalities have occurred from constricting snakes, which accounts for 0.4 deaths per year. This is while icicles, falling coconuts, defective household appliances, garage doors, falls from beds and stairs, and vending machines (to name a few) all acount for far more fatalities each year. These are U.S. statistics, but the statistics for captive constrictors in Pakistan are probably similar, if they are even available.
It should also be noted that the current temperature in Karachi PK is 25 degrees F with a low of 17 degrees F. Pythons are tropical, ecothermic animals that will not thrive or survive well in temperatures under 60 degrees F. This has been affirmed by many studies conducted in the U.S that found direct or indirect mortalitity of all snakes in studies in the S.E. U.S. It is also noted that many of the pythons are selectively bred color and/or pattern variations known as "morphs" that simply lack the ability to survive successfully in the wild. We should dispense with fear mongering and realize the sky is not falling, nor are there drives of pythons chasing down children and the elderly.
After a few 'unexpected' accidents, Pakistanis will look back and realize what a horrendous mistake this is.
It is irresponsible and dangerous to the environment, to relocate a nurture animal species outside their natural habitats. Americans had same lunatics in the south eastern states, and not they have a teeming Python population, which has out-numbered local animal species and caused a major nuisance. Some areas in SOuth-East US are resorting to paying hunters each season to kill those pythons, or destroying their eggs.
This year, there was also an incident of a python escaping and strangling young kid to death.
This guy Mr. Hassan H., is likely planning to make tons of money breeding and selling these to rich elites.
Sindh Govt depts including the WildLife department is full of immature and brainless clerks.