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| One of the world's deadliest snakes, missing from Atlanta Zoo since Friday, found dead |
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| Written by Ron Kaye |
| Monday, 30 August 2010 19:35 |
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Zoo officials played down danger, stating reptile was "believed" to still be secured There is one fundamental principle that is common to all zoos throughout the world: Animals remain in enclosures, separate from zoo goers. Of course, there is the odd petting zoo here and there, where attendees (mostly children) are allowed to get up close and personal with a few species. However, the one principle guiding these areas is that the animals are benign in nature, and not likely to harm visitors. This inviolate rule is strictly enforced by the law of common sense, along with the fretful insistence of insurance underwriters. Here in Atlanta, we've been known to break a rule or two when inspired, but this last weekend at the Atlanta Zoo may have been stretching things a bit. Visitors wandered about just as they do on any other sunny day, enjoying the opportunity to experience unique forms of wildlife. What made this weekend different was that a highly venomous Australian tiger snake - considered one of the world's most deadly species - had apparently escaped from its enclosure on Friday, and remained missing all weekend. Meanwhile, the hundreds of kids being herded along by their parents to see the newborn giraffe were completely unaware that a deadly creature might have been slithering through the landscaping at their feet. While zoo employees were supposedly performing a broad search for the elusive snake (a search that was obviously handled quite professionally, since the effort went virtually unnoticed by visitors and media personnel), zoo officials posted no warnings. They tried to reassure anyone who managed to learn of the escape, and ultimately issued a public statement that they believed the reptile to be somewhere inside the building, in an area off-limits and inaccessible to non-employees. Upon further questioning, however, the spokeswoman was unable to offer any answers to justify that assumption. Meanwhile, families wandered throughout the exhibits, blissfully unaware of the danger that "probably" didn't exist. As they say in Australia, "No worries!" Despite zoo officials' overtly casual attitude toward the incident, they had acknowledged that the snake was "very potent," and on Sunday, urged anyone who saw the snake to call the zoo. The officials' reassurances proved ill-founded when, on Monday morning, a passerby reported seeing the snake on Atlanta Avenue. The reptile was found dead on the porch of a vacant house several blocks away from the zoo. Zoo Atlanta president and CEO Raymond King stated that the incident would be thoroughly reviewed, and that zoo procedures and protocols would be revised as necessary. Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites |
