Royal Python
(Python regius)
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These beautiful snakes originate from West Africa but have been captive bred in this country for many years. Lola is a rescue python and has had several owners including a Royal Marine!
She is a great ambassador for snakes as she is very gentle and friendly and is happy to be handled, especially if you have warm hands! Fascinating fact: this species is very special to the Igbo people of Nigeria. If one is accidentally killed, it is given a coffin and a funeral! |
Python conservation news...
Royal Pythons are not endangered but thousands of them are legally shipped out of Africa to the USA, Australia and Europe every year for the pet trade. If this continues they may become endangered.
Much larger than the Royal Python, The Burmese Python (below) has now reached 'Vulnerable' status on the IUCN Red List. They are found all across South and East Asia. Declining numbers are due to loss of rainforest habitat replaced by farming, collection for the pet trade, being eaten by humans(the 'bushmeat trade'), killed for their skins to make shoes and belts and used to make 'medicine' for humans (scientists have proved that these 'medicines' do not work). To further complicate matters there are thousands of Burmese Pythons on the loose in the Florida everglades. Burmese Pythons can grow longer than 2o feet or more! People just let them go in the wild when they get too big to manage. This is of course always illegal in every country to release a pet into the wild. They have been eating every bird and mammal they can get hold of (many species are already very endangered there anyway) and there are no natural predators to eat the pythons, so they just keep multiplying. A big big problem...caused by humans...
Royal Pythons are not endangered but thousands of them are legally shipped out of Africa to the USA, Australia and Europe every year for the pet trade. If this continues they may become endangered.
Much larger than the Royal Python, The Burmese Python (below) has now reached 'Vulnerable' status on the IUCN Red List. They are found all across South and East Asia. Declining numbers are due to loss of rainforest habitat replaced by farming, collection for the pet trade, being eaten by humans(the 'bushmeat trade'), killed for their skins to make shoes and belts and used to make 'medicine' for humans (scientists have proved that these 'medicines' do not work). To further complicate matters there are thousands of Burmese Pythons on the loose in the Florida everglades. Burmese Pythons can grow longer than 2o feet or more! People just let them go in the wild when they get too big to manage. This is of course always illegal in every country to release a pet into the wild. They have been eating every bird and mammal they can get hold of (many species are already very endangered there anyway) and there are no natural predators to eat the pythons, so they just keep multiplying. A big big problem...caused by humans...
Burmese Python