I was overjoyed not simply by the discovery of an anaconda in the vicinity of the Caroni Swamp recently, but the fact that this magnificent creature was able to survive its encounter with humans. The late Professor Julian Kenny told me on several occasions that it is rare to find this water-dwelling constrictor at significant lengths because they are killed on sight by unreasonably superstitious Trinis.
The anaconda was the darling of the media for several days, at an estimated 18 feet and an impressive girth. In neighbouring Venezuela, it is not unusual for scientists to stumble onto anacondas reaching 28 feet or more. Granted, these snakes thrive in a region called the Llanos, a vast grassland often flooded by the Orinoco river. The Caroni Swamp specimen became the unwitting star attraction of the Emperor Valley Zoo.
This was a unique opportunity to have members of the public get an intimate look at a creature they will rarely encounter. It also does not hurt to have brisk ticket sales at the zoo, which often suffers long droughts of patronage. For the most part, folks seemed genuinely thrilled that a snake that large could be found here. Then there was one stupid remark from a radio DJ who suggested that the snake ought not to be returned to the wild, but killed.
Ordinarily I would not pay much attention to the radio station in question because it is obviously staffed by sub-educated troglodytes dragged in from a dirty sidewalk. Trouble here, though, is that it is a frequency that attracts a lot of our young listeners and as such this thoughtless moron in that moment had influence over the malleable minds out there in radio land.
A radio station run by dullards is one thing, but the offense was compounded immeasurably, and in a place one would least expect. I was directed by a friend to an editorial of the Newsday newspaper that touched on the anaconda snake now getting top billing at the zoo.
It started innocently enough, then went violently off the rails with this: "Should it be released into the Caroni Swamp or the Nariva Swamp or at whatever point in Trinidad and Tobago (Tobago?), the anaconda because like other members of the boa family is known to kill its prey by constriction, may pose a threat particularly to young children whom it may, unwittingly, mesmerise before attacking."
There are so many things profoundly flawed in that excerpt that I could not possibly deal with them all this year. I will deal with the most obvious: mesmerise? This is a major national publication and in the year 2013 someone sat down and wrote that an anaconda would mesmerise a child before attacking? Is this the basilisk from the Harry Potter flick? Should we get Tom Riddle on the phone, as this snake obviously won't listen to Harry's parseltongue?
One could also come away with the impression that the author of this editorial believes that we have captured the last of the anacondas living in Trinidad. In Hans Boos' deeply engrossing The snakes of Trinidad and Tobago, the former curator of the Emperor Valley Zoo and this country's foremost expert on snakes deftly mixes scientific fact with enthralling folklore.
His book contains colourful accounts culled from the historical record of encounters with the anaconda or "Huille." Hailing from the late 1800s are similar characterisations of the anaconda's "mesmerising powers." It was also believed that the snake could immobilise even the strongest man with one whiff of its "toxic breath." I am sure Mr Boos would be surprised to know that even today these deliriously dotish perceptions prevail.
But wait! It gets worse! "Snakes have been known to attack persons casually strolling in their back yards because they (the snakes) feel threatened. What would be there to prevent the anaconda from viewing an individual's sudden entry into, say, its resting place as a hostile action, an indication of danger. What would be the fate of a hapless hunter?"
Ok, let's break this one down. I was not aware that there was an epidemic in this country of people being chased across their lawns by rampaging snakes. Certainly any ten-minute conversation with an expert in the field of herpetology could easily rubbish that remark. It has been my personal experience that most snakes when encountered in the bush will flee immediately.
I have come across the dreaded fer-de-lance on two occasions and I was never chased through the forest screaming like a banshee. Secondly, what the hell is a "hapless hunter"? You mean the same people who leave the relative safety of their homes to go into the forest, the domain of wildlife, to blow them away with lead shot?
This editorial represents a quantum leap backwards in our understanding of the role of wildlife in our environment and the importance of fostering harmony between humans and animals. I guess we should look out for the next editorial of the Newsday titled: "Doh go in dat river gyul, zangee go suck yuh toe!"
