Snake house of death shocker

Below is news excerpt from NST online. It reported that I highlighted the issue. In actual fact, it wasn't me who highlighted the matter. The news was scoop by Sin Chew Daily more than a week ago. I knew about the issue through the paper. A senior NST reporter called me yesterday and asked me to comment about it. So i did comment about it which was reported below. I will never claim credit which was not due to me :)

SEREMBAN: Almost all of the 70 snakes at the government-run Kuala Pilah Snake Farm near here have died in the past few months.The dead snakes are believed to include a green anaconda from Brazil, which made the headlines in May when it gave birth to 13 offspring.

The anaconda was one of a pair that had arrived at the snake farm at the Ulu Bendul Forest Reserve here in March.

It is believed all the anacondas, including the babies, have died.

State DAP chairman Anthony Loke Siew Fook, who highlighted the matter, said almost RM1 million was spent on the farm, which opened in February.About 30 species of snakes were brought in from various parts of the world but only two or three Malaysian and Thai species are surviving.

Among the snakes at the farm were six red-tailed boa imported from Brazil and a Burmese python from Myanmar.

Others included the blood python, Borneo short-tailed python, Amazon tree boa, Columbia boa, Brazillian rainbow boa, Albino Burmese python, Indian python and the Bolivian anaconda.

When it was first opened, the 4ha farm attracted thousands of visitors and was the pride of Kuala Pilah. But things are different these days.

"Although the farm remains open, there are hardly any visitors. We don't know what the future of the farm is going to be," Loke said, adding that so much of the state's money was spent on the project but it had not been properly coordinated and monitored.

Loke claimed that no proper research was done about the snakes' natural habitat and living conditions before they were brought to the farm.

"What is even more shocking is that we were told that the caretakers who were in charge of the monkeys and orang utans were given the task of caring for these rare species of snakes."

Loke said the matter should be investigated, and the DAP would demand a detailed explanation at the coming state legislative assembly sitting this month.

Among other matters, he said it was important to find out who had been responsible for procuring the snakes, the preparations undertaken before the snakes were brought in and what caused their deaths.

Attempts to get comments from the Wildlife Department failed.