“Tail” Tuesday: When Optimuss met Sir David Written by: Tom Clark PWP Reptile Keeper Working with the largest anaconda on display in the U.K is one of the most exciting and sometimes most unnerving experiences. Weighing 73kg and approximately 14ft in length, she isn’t a snake to be messed with. However, she is for an anaconda very well behaved and we have never (‘touch wood’), had any problems when entering her enclosure and working with her. Of course this doesn’t mean we get complacent, as she could still have a bad day like most of us. As if working with one of the most incredible, biggest and dangerous animals in the world isn’t surreal enough, a dream of many peoples was about to come true for myself, Optimuss and a few of the other zookeepers. Sir David Attenborough was coming to Paradise to film with the BBC! And not with any old animal, he wanted to film with Optimuss! This obviously was very exciting, but left us with a few difficult decisions of health and safety for us, sir David and Optimuss. Mainly the enclosure was to small to film in, so we knew she would have to go outside which, we had never done with her before! Secondly, the only time we handled Optimuss is for health checks and moving exhibit. Luckily on the day we had 6 keepers and Mark Amey available to help, to make sure Optimuss was dealt with in the safest and least stressful way, to ensure her calmness when filming with Sir David. We transported her up to the film location where we met Sir David and Sir David met Optimuss. Everyone was star struck except Optimuss who took everything in her ‘slither’ so to speak. We placed her in front of Sir David and she was as good as gold she moved where needed and behaved as needed! Except the one time she decided that Sir David looked like a nice chap and started to move towards him, to which everyone apart from himself was suddenly on edge! I mean a 73 kilo snake heading straight for a living legend, but he just kept reeling of his lines like the pro he was and Optimuss just laid there and watched him. It was truly amazing not only hearing Sir David talk in the flesh, but seeing this wonderful, gob smacking snake I work with everyday out in the sunshine. After an hour, or 2 of filming, Optimuss was understandably starting to get tired of being moved around and let us know with a little shrug (which for a snake of her size to us is quite a big shrug). However, for a snake we don’t handle more than four times a year (because of her sheer monstrous size), she was perfect! I couldn’t of been more proud. Two others and myself took Optimuss back to her enclosure in a tub and reunited her with (I’m assuming) a very jealous Megatron (male anaconda), where the next day she got two well earned rabbits for dinner. It was truly an amazing and surreal day and one I will never forget. Scary thing is Optimuss (the largest anaconda on display in the U.K) should still grow by another 6-8 feet and possibly double in weight. We will probably need all of our zoo staff to help to weigh her when that happens! Come and see Optimuss this weekend, as we celebrate Reptile Awareness Weekend! Book your tickets online now, to receive 20% off all online day tickets: https://pwpark/shop/cart/add/type/bookable/id/21
Posted on: Tue, 14 Oct 2014 11:25:31 +0000
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