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- The Boksburg SPCA seized a four-meter-long yellow anaconda and 20 rabbits from a home in Van Wyk Park in Boksburg on Wednesday.
- The SPCA received an anonymous notice to inspect the living conditions of the animals at the residence.
- The snake’s tank was “dirty” and not the right size for an animal of that length, a senior SPCA inspector said.
A four-meter long yellow anaconda, a species of boa endemic to southern South America, was confiscated from a home in Van Wyk Park, Boksburg on Wednesday, along with 20 rabbits.
The SPCA received an anonymous notice to inspect the living conditions of the animals at the residence, Chief Inspector Vicky Finnemore said.
“We first issued a warning for the living conditions to be improved and at first the owner complied. After a follow-up inspection, it was revealed that he had let things revert to the state of abandonment in which the snake was originally found” she said.
The team then had to obtain a seizure order to rescue the snake that was being kept as an exotic pet and the rabbits that were being raised to feed the anaconda.
“The rabbits were bred for the purpose of feeding the snake and it is illegal to feed live prey to a captive predator,” Finnemore said.
A yellow anaconda rescued by the SPCA.
The anaconda lived in a small tank at a residence in Van Wyk Park, Boksburg.
This yellow anaconda was rescued by the SPCA. It is not yet clear what will happen to the animal.
The dirty water in the tank of a yellow anaconda that was kept as an exotic pet. (Supplied)
She said the snake’s tank was dirty and not the right size for an animal of that length, nor is it capable of expressing natural behavior in such a confined space.
“When we opened the tank the smell was nauseating. The drinking water was thick and dirty mud. The snake weighs 24 kilograms and in all the time it has lived in that tank, it has not been able to stretch to its full length which is cruel” , said.
According to Finnemore, thousands of people sadly keep pet snakes in tanks.
“People buy them from pet stores and are not educated enough about how to properly care for them. They get tired of cleaning tanks and they don’t have adequate lighting and heating, which can cause the animal to suffer from all kinds of diseases.” said.
According to the inspector, people do not need permits to keep exotic animals as pets, which he believes can be problematic.
“South America exports thousands of these reptiles to other countries in these little containers, many of which don’t even make the journey,” he said.
A snake expert came to observe the anaconda and identified it as probably a female, but could not say how old it was. But Finnemore said she’s fully grown.
“There are rehab centers for indigenous animals, but not exotic animals, and we can’t just release the snake into the wild because it is not its natural habitat,” Finnemore said.
The risk is that the anaconda will disrupt the local ecosystem or mate with other snake species, he said.
The SPCA has not yet decided what to do with the snake.
