Yellow anaconda calf still missing; social media reports false, Says Dehiwala Zoo

 

The Dehiwala Zoo has denied social media reports claiming that the yellow anaconda calf that went missing last Sunday has been found. The calf remains unaccounted for, Dehiwala Zoo Deputy Director Kasun Hemantha said.

Speaking to the Daily Mirror, Hemantha said the missing reptile is the only yellow anaconda calf in Sri Lanka. “We have lodged a complaint with the Dehiwala Police. The reports circulating on social media that the calf has been found are completely false. Investigations into the search are still ongoing,” he said.

He added that no evidence has been found to suggest that the lock of the enclosure had been tampered with. However, during investigations, officers identified an area that indicated the snake may have escaped from the box in which it was housed.

“It has not yet been determined whether the animal was stolen or whether it escaped on its own. A definitive answer will come from the ongoing police inquiry and the department-level investigations,” Hemantha noted.

The missing yellow anaconda calf was among a group of snakes illegally smuggled into Sri Lanka from Thailand on September 12. The consignment, which included six snakes from three other species, was seized at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) and handed over to the Dehiwala National Zoo.

Until its disappearance, the calf had been kept in the reptile garden’s off-display enclosure reserved for animals not yet introduced to the public.