February 2011
4 February 2011
Have you been reading our Patient of the Week stories and ever wondered how these amazing animals are doing in their longer term recovery? We will endeavour to let you know about the progress of some of these precious animals.
Sam the Carpet Python
Sam came to the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital after being badly mauled by a dog. She had suffered deep punctures on her head and along the entire length of her 4.7kg body.
Sam's recovery was in fact longer than first expected. She had sustained such serious injuries to her entire body that she actually spent two months in the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital's intensive care ward.
During her stay Sam shed her skin. It would normally come off in one single intact piece but because of her scarring, some of her shedding skin took a long time to come off. Dr Claude was quite concerned as retained shed can cause constrictions to the blood circulation as a snake grows. Dr Claude decided to send Sam to a reptile rehabilitator for care, and two months later, with regular feeds, Sam shed her skin again.
Sam was given the all clear and was released back home to the Samford Valley. On release, Sam wasted no time in slithering back into the bush and within a moment, she had disappeared into the undergrowth.
Click here to read Sam's Patient of the Week story.
Call the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital on 1300 369 652 for all wildlife emergencies.
3 Zoo Comments
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neinka lando 22nd February 2011 04:39:03 AEST
You are all the most loving caring and compassionate zoo care givers I've learned about. You are truly the most committed workers there are. I am trying to become worthy of your ownership so I too could come and live a fully biogenic life in my own enclosure. I have a born ability called auto-immine enhancement. The ability of making most thing I get a part of my genome.
virginia kitchens --------------monkeyfface84@yahoo.com 5th February 2011 10:53:43 AEST
hope she is going to be ok love snakes
Gail from London 4th February 2011 18:53:11 AEST
Another fantastic success story from the wonderful Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital. What a gorgeous snake. I have never been fortunate enough to handle a snake, although the thought doesn't worry me at all. Sam is a beautiful species of snake, very handsome, and thanks to the wonderful care she received she has now gone back home where she belongs. I hope life is kind to her and I wish her a long, healthy, happy life in her beautiful home that is the very beautiful Australian countryside.Australians are very lucky to have such beautiful wildlife, although we in England have beautiful wildlife too. xxx