Fears for pet anaconda still on the loose in Durban

IT IS NOW up to Phoenix residents and local snake wranglers to find Medusa, the yellow anaconda that escaped on Thursday.

Caroline Smith from the Durban and Coastal SPCA said they had not received any reports about the snake.

“It would be more likely to be reported to the local men who catch snakes. This is not the mandate of the SPCA; we would intervene if the snake was living in poor conditions or there was cruelty to the animal involved.”

Preesan Nair, from Starwood, Phoenix, has appealed for Medusa’s safe return.

Nair said he had other pet snakes and had taken Medusa in after rescuing her from a life of neglect and ill-treatment.

He said he had last seen Medusa on Thursday morning, when she was in her enclosure. He believed the anaconda forced her way out some time during the day, and when Nair returned home at around 6pm he found she was gone.

“I’m devastated that she’s missing, as she’s my pet. I love reptiles just like anyone would love a cat or a dog. She was kept in her enclosure and well taken care of,” he said.

Nair said Medusa was timid and gentle, and this was the first time she had escaped. He feared the worst after a social media backlash ensued following the news of her going missing.

“I am outraged to see the false information being posted on social media by people who don’t own reptiles and have just watched movies and now think they know everything. I feel very sad receiving messages from people threatening to kill my pet by chopping and burning her.”

According to local snake saver Nick Evans, anacondas are not on the invasive species list and it is legal for them to be kept as pets.

“She is a yellow anaconda, and they don’t get very big – not like the green anaconda. The misinformation spread on social media has caused mass panic,” he said.

Evans said rats in Phoenix were in for a hellish time while Medusa was on the loose.

“Anacondas are quite cheap to get but are not very popular, as they are usually bad-tempered, plus they stink.

“They must be kept in large secure enclosures – not house-sized, but I suppose something more than 2m wide. I have never been called out for an anaconda.”

Prem Balram from Reaction Unit SA has sent out a public notice for people to be on the lookout for the 2m-long reptile.

By yesterday afternoon, Medusa was still missing.