Kannur snake park to get 2 anacondas

KOZHIKODE: Parassinikkadavu Snake Park in Kannur will get two giant guests in the first week of October. The Central Zoo Authority of India has approved its request for housing two anacondas, the largest snake found in tropical South America. They are coming from their native Colombia and the park authorities are redesigning a portion to make them comfortable.

Animal experts say the snakes are unlikely to face any problem to adjust to the climate and environmental conditions here as the breed is familiar to a humid weather. “Thiruvananthapuram zoo already has anacondas, and that was an inspiration for us,” said Anthoor municipal chairperson P.K. Shyamala. "It will be a challenge to transport them here as it may cause stress on reptiles during landing and take-off. So we will first bring them to Chennai and later to Kannur by road."

"Preparations to receive the guests are in the last phase, and we are expecting them to come as soon as possible," she added. Apart from anacondas, there will be common cobra and monocellate cobra, Russell's viper, bamboo pit viper, banded krait and common krait among other venomous snakes here, in addition to the existing ones. Founded by the late CMP leader MV Raghavan, the park has been popular for its live shows where the trained personnel play and interact with a variety of snakes, including cobras and vipers, and try to quell mythical fears and superstitions about snakes.