Two snakes rescued

Speaking to Newsday yesterday, zoological officer Sharleen Khan said the first snake, a male green anaconda, was found in a dasheen field on a gardener’s property in Wallerfield.

“The snake was spotted last Friday and the gardener, Gerard Francis, called the zoo.

The second snake a female boa constrictor, locally referred to as a macajuel, was rescued from a roadway in Rio Claro by Vishnu Bahadur.” Khan said Bahadur also contacted the zoo and the snake was collected on April 11.

She said the snakes are native and non-venomous and feed on small animals such as birds and mammals in their environment.

Khan said snakes play an important role in the ecosystem as they control the pest or rat population.

“The zoo retrieves distressed wild animals and are rehabilitated if needed and, in most cases, relocated back into the wild.”