NATIONAL NEWS - The latest wild and wonderful creature to receive treatment at FreeMe Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre in Howick this weekend was a 4,24 metre long Southern African rock python.
The large python was found deep in the Umkomaas Valley, by a team from Working for Water.
Fortunately, the team had previously done a snake course with local snake rescuer Nick Evans, and on encountering the animal, quickly became concerned as the snake appeared to have trouble moving.
Bundling the snake into a maize bag, the team carried it out of the valley and went to find someone who could assist.
FreeMe was contacted to assist and the snake was brought to Hilton, where it was handed over to the FreeMe team.
On arrival at the rehabilitation centre, the FreeMe team quickly and carefully got to work to find out what could be wrong.
After finding a large surface wound on its neck, the team suspected something was still not right, and decided to take X-rays.
Dr Diana Foden, of Aragon Veterinary Clinic in Nottingham Road, was called, who provided the assistance of a mobile X-ray used on horses.
That's the exact spot where FreeMe experts suspected the injury, approximately 1m behind the head. Photo: FreeMe Wildlife
X-raying a 4,24 m python, however, proved to be a mammoth task, requiring all hands on deck, as the team worked over the body inch by inch.
The X-rays revealed a fracture in a single vertebrae and one rib, which the FreeMe team is confident the female python can recover from.
[The injury was] most likely caused by a blow of some sort to the snake’s body, which although a small injury, had caused the snake to become immobile. We believe she can easily recover from this with time and rest.
An x-ray showing the exact spot, where the arrows are, of a fracture in a single vertebrae and one rib. Photo: FreeMe Wildlife
FreeMe experts with the python. Photo: FreeMe Wildlife
