BY: Patrick Beech

After trying for 13 years, the Butterfly and Reptile Sanctuary in Melaka successfully bred yellow anacondas or  Eunectes notaeus.

According to its manager Qurratu A'in Rohaminordin, the conservation centre recently welcomed 14 snakelets.

She said there was one male and female anaconda at the sanctuary and during the mating period, it was important to control the optimum temperature between 33 and 42 degrees Celsius.

"The female yellow anaconda showed signs of pregnancy in January when it started refusing food and gaining weight. It was also often seen sunbathing under the lights provided, so we maintained a warm temperature to suit the reptile's condition.

The zoologist who monitored the development of the female anaconda reported that it had increased in size and we decided to close the enclosure to ensure that it does not feel threatened and remove the male anaconda from the enclosure to prevent the female from being disturbed," she said.

She added that the baby yellow anacondas, about 0.6 metres long and weighing around 170 grammes, were already independent at birth and did not hesitate to bite when threatened, and could swim well.

"All of these yellow anaconda snakelets will be on display for public viewing when the time is appropriate and when their condition has stabilised under the care of the zoologists at the conservation centre.

"Although the yellow anaconda is not a local snake species, the reptile breeding and conservation efforts carried out by Malaysian zoologists prove that they are world-class and on par with their foreign counterparts," she added.