Pythons found in Annville this summer are recovering

By BRAD RHEN
Updated: 10/18/2009 10:05:17 PM EDT


The two pythons found in Annville this summer after their owner released them are recovering, the director of a reptile sanctuary said.

And one of them is making rounds to raise awareness for Reptile Awareness Day, which is Wednesday.

Jesse Rothacker, founder and president of Forgotten Friend Reptile Sanctuary near Manheim, said the pythons have been doing "really well" since being placed under the care of the sanctuary in July.

"There's been lots of heating and eating," Rothacker said during a visit to the Lebanon Daily News with one of the pythons last week. "They haven't refused a meal yet, except one time when the reticulated python was going through his shed cycle and he didn't eat, which is pretty normal. But other than that, these guys have been eating just about everything we put in front of them. They're really making up for lost time."

The first python found, a 10-foot albino Burmese python, was discovered by a woman walking along the road at Stone Hill Village in the 500 block of West Main Street of Annville the morning of July 10.

The snake was malnourished and weighed just 20 pounds. A healthy Burmese that size would normally weigh about 45 pounds.

The second snake, a 9-foot reticulated python, was found the afternoon of July 16 along the Quittapahilla Creek behind a home in Stone Hill Village, about 200 feet from where the first one was discovered. It was nearly as skinny as a corn snake and was severely neglected.

The man who released the pythons, 41-year-old James P. DeBock of Cleona, was charged with two summary counts of cruelty to animals and two summary counts of introduction of non-native species into the wild. Police said DeBock admitted to releasing the snakes on July 3 because he could no longer afford to care for them.

Rothacker said DeBock has been fined and ordered to pay restitution, some of which goes to Forgotten Friend.

The reticulated python was in particularly bad shape when he was caught, Rothacker said.

"He had almost no strength when he came in," he said. "I don't think he would have lasted another couple weeks out there."

Since they've been at Forgotten Friend, the two pythons have both eaten dozens of frozen rats. However, Rothacker said, they still have a long road to full recovery.

"It probably took years to get them into this condition, so it'll take years to get them back where they ought to be, but they're headed in the right direction," he said.

Eventually, the pythons will be listed for adoption on ForgottenFriend.org and PetFinder.com. However, Rothacker said, he will likely keep the Burmese python for a while to use during demonstrations and school visits.

He had the Burmese python, which has been named Barnie, with him last week when he visited the Daily News. In addition to providing an update on the snakes, his visit was also a promotion for Reptile Awareness Day, which is held each year on Oct. 21.

"The origin of Reptile Awareness Day is sort of obscure, but we just use it as a day to promote good will toward reptiles," he said. "Three hundred sixty-four days a year, they're getting bad press, so we try to take one day out of the year and just remember these are 8,000 species that we share our planet with and just appreciate them on that day."

Forgotten Friend is also holding a contest encouraging people to do something nice for reptiles on Reptile Awareness Day.

"We have special prizes for teachers that include reptile enrichments in the classrooms, but we're also encouraging anyone besides teachers to do nice things for reptiles on that day," Rothacker said.

Among the prizes is a family four-pack of tickets to ZooAmerica in Hershey that includes a behind-the-scenes tour.

Rothacker said Reptile Awareness Day is also a good day to talk about responsible pet ownership.

"If you're thinking about getting a reptile, you need to have a long-term plan," he said. "Some people don't plan for the long term, so we encourage people, if you're thinking about a pet reptile, consider a corn snake or a leopard gecko or a small tortoise. Consider something that's not going to outgrow its welcome and end up another story like the Annville orphans."

http://www.ldnews.com/ci_13585527

(Submitted by Andrew D Gable)