News
No light shed on mystery of the lost and found albino snake
Animal trainer and zoo keeper Tilak Perera who reported to work last Thursday discovered something unusual near a gate – a tied up pillow case in which there was movement.
Mr. Perera points to the spot where he saw the tied up bundle. Pix by Athula Devapriya and Reka Tharangani
Mr. Perera was explaining how a venomous albino snake that went missing from the Dehiwala Zoological Gardens was found four days later.
“I was walking in to the animal training place to report around 8 a.m. My first priority was to see if the hawk in the nearby birdhouse was there. When I came closer I saw a bag, that looks similar to a pillow case, and used to transfer reptiles. I felt there was a reptile in it,” he said.
He said he informed the security and the authorities and that the bag was opened only after police arrived at the scene.
The albino cobra back in his cage
“We recognised it as the missing albino cobra and took it to the reptile division to show it to the vet. It was then taken to courts and on a court order was taken back to the zoo,” Mr. Perera said.
He said when the reptile went missing the employees were all vigilant and had searched the premises thoroughly, adding that on the previous day too before the snake was found they carried out a search and no bag was found then.
Police are trying to ascertain how the cobra was removed from a cage to which only employees of the reptile division or those with special permission had access to.
Some employees speaking to the Sunday Times said the rare albino was back in its original cage that stands out from the rest, a big wooden one with green paint and glass. They said every cage was under lock and key but the keys were kept in a small wooden box that hangs next to the entrance. They added that since the reptile section was a restricted area even the handling gear, bags in which reptiles were transfered and other tools were hung close to the cages.
They said except for a few minor injuries to its head area, that would heal soon, the cobra was doing well.
An official of the Botanical Gardens and Public Recreation Ministry said they were awaiting the outcome of the police investigation to take further action.