Woodland Park Zoo Press Release

Seattle - Woodland Park Zoo’s popular 18-foot reticulated python died last Friday morning, a day after undergoing surgery for removal of retained eggs. The female snake, estimated to be 20 years old, did well during the surgery and was recovering as expected. Preliminary necropsy findings point to possible complications of heart disease as the cause of death.

Reticulated python
Photo: Ryan Hawk

According to the zoo’s interim Associate Veterinarian, Dr. John Ochsenreiter, the snake had stopped eating, prompting zoo veterinary staff to develop an observation and treatment plan for the python. Last month, zoo veterinary staff conducted a full examination, including x-rays and an ultrasound by the zoo’s consulting radiologist and zoo Board member, Dr. Rob Liddell, in order to learn more about the cause of her illness. Three retained eggs were discovered within the body cavity and other abnormalities. Dr. Russ Patterson and a team of veterinary surgeons from the Seattle-based Animal Surgical Clinic joined the zoo’s veterinary staff in the surgical procedure last Thursday to remove the degenerate eggs.

The python was a popular attraction in the zoo’s Day Exhibit, which showcases a gallery of reptiles and amphibians. She was confiscated by the Seattle Police Department from a private owner and moved to Woodland Park Zoo in 1988. When she arrived at the zoo, she was about 6 feet in length and estimated to be about a year old. She ultimately grew to more than 18 feet long and weighed as much as 185 pounds. “By virtue of her impressive length and girth and striking reticulated pattern, the python drew many ‘Oohs and ‘Aahs’ from visitors,” noted Woodland Park Zoo Animal Curator Dana Payne. “Monthly programs during which we fed the snake for visitors were very popular. She will be missed.”

The reticulated python is a constrictor, killing its prey by wrapping around it and suffocating it. Getting its name from the distinctive color and net- or rope-like pattern on its scales, its average size is 10 to 20 feet in length, although there is documentation of the species growing more than 30 feet and weighing 300 pounds. The species’ range extends from Myanmar and India, across Southeast Asia and on many of the islands of the Philippines and Indonesia. They are at home on the ground, in caves or in trees and they have adapted to living in towns and cities where they hunt chickens, ducks, rats and domestic cats, dogs and pigs. Like many reptiles, the species is diminishing in numbers due to the skin trade with large numbers being slaughtered for their meat and hides.

Summer hours: 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily. Admission: May 1-September 30: Adult (13-64) $15; Child (3-12) $10. Free for children 2 and under year round. Seniors and people with disabilities receive a discount and zoo members receive free zoo admission year round. Parking: $4.00. Parking is limited. Please call Metro at 206.553.3000 for bus service to the zoo. For more information, visit www.zoo.org.

Accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA), award-winning Woodland Park Zoo is famed for pioneering naturalistic exhibits and setting international standards for zoos all over the world. Conservation, education and excellent animal care are at the core of the zoo’s mission. The zoo is helping to save animals and their habitats in Washington state and around the world including tree kangaroos, snow leopards, red-crowned cranes, African wild dogs, western pond turtles and Oregon silverspot butterflies. By inspiring people to care and act, Woodland Park Zoo is making a difference in our planet’s future.