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(Hong Kong – 14 July 2011) Following the birth of a pair of red-handed tamarin twins in February, Ocean Park is excited to welcome the addition of 30 baby green anacondas, the largest snake in the world to the family of exotic animal species at the Park’s Rainforest attraction area. The mother anaconda gave birth between 6am – 9am on 10 July at Ocean Park under close care and monitoring by the Park’s aquarists and veterinary staff. This is the first time an anaconda has given birth in Hong Kong.
The female anaconda arrived at the Park on 24 May 2011 and an ultrasound scan was conducted as part of the health check routine. Results showed that the anaconda was pregnant and the Park had since been making preparations ahead of the expected birth by setting up holding facilities at the Rainforest’s back-of-house area to accommodate the anaconda babies.
Charlie Young, Ocean Park’s Assistant Curator of Fresh Water and Reptile Exhibits, said, “We are pleased and excited that the birth process was completed very successfully. The babies are 73-90cm in length and weigh between 288 to 336g. A few individuals are currently being displayed at the exhibit and can often be seen in trees or looking for places to hide as young anacondas in the wild are naturally vulnerable to attacks. We minimized disturbances to the mother and the baby snakes for the first few days as they can be sensitive to changes to the environment.”
Charlie added, “Before giving birth, the female anaconda spent most her time on land but now she often rests in the water. Between one to two weeks after birth, the baby anacondas will shed their skin and begin feeding. We will feed them on a diet of small rats.”
Unlike pythons which lay eggs, green anacondas give birth to live young and deliver around 20-40 babies each time. This is to increase their survival rate since the young snakes often fall prey to other animals.
This is the first time Ocean Park has had an anaconda give birth, but the Park’s vastly experienced animal caretakers and veterinary staffs have worked together to ensure a smooth process. As the green anaconda is territorial in nature, only some of the babies will continue to be kept in the Park while the rest will be exchanged with other zoos and aquariums in the future.
As Ocean Park’s animal ambassadors are part of a diverse range of tropical animals at The Rainforest attraction, the green anaconda connect guests with nature and help advocate for the protection of rainforests - the most biologically diverse habitats in the world. Through the wise use of rainforest products, each of us can help protect the Rainforests of the World.
