- Title: GERMANY: Eighteen baby Boa snakes born at Munich zoo
- Date: 10th October 2003
- Summary: (L!2) MUNICH, GERMANY (OCTOBER 10, 2003) (REUTERS) CLOSE OF SIGN READING TERRARIUM SLV MUNICH ZOOKEEPER CHRISTINE HEIDENTHALER CARRYING STYROFOAM BOX WITH EIGHTEEN BABY BOAS CLOSE OF BABY BOAS INSIDE BOX SLV HEIDENTHALER REMOVING SNAKES AND PUTTING THEM INTO GLASS CAGE WITH THEIR MOTHER SUSI CLOSE OF SUSI AND HER CHILDREN INSIDE CAGE VARIOUS OF MOTHER SNAKE WITH BABIES CRAWLING OVER HER CLOSE OF MOTHER SNAKE VARIOUS OF SNAKES IN CAGE (SOUNDBITE) (German) CHRISTINE HEIDENTHALER, MUNICH ZOOKEEPER, HOLDING ADULT SNAKE, SAYING: "Snakes cause relatively little work. They require an environment which is identical to their wildlife habitat moist or dry surroundings -- and you have to know everything about them. You have to feed them but they eat very little: during the winter every four weeks, during the summer every two. That's enough for them". CLOSE OF HEIDENTHALER HOLDING SUSI CLOSE-UP SUSI'S HEAD (SOUNDBITE) (German) CHRISTINE HEIDENTHALER, MUNICH ZOOKEEPER SAYING: "A lot of people think snakes are slimy and bite. But once you have touched a snake you know it feels totally clean, like silk, and not at all slimy". CLOSE OF GEKO INSIDE CAGE SLV HEIDENTHALER PUTTING BABY BOAS BACK INTO BOX VARIOUS OF TWO BABIES TRYING TO ESCAPE BOX/LID BEING PLACED ON BOX
- Embargoed: 25th October 2003 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: MUNICH, GERMANY
- City:
- Country: Germany
- Topics: Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
- Reuters ID: LVA75UXN910GZ0CXXOSHQNUCEAOC
- Aspect Ratio:
- Story Text: Eighteen boa snake babies born at a Munich zoo this summer have had their first media appearance.
Munich Zookeeper Christine Heidenthaler had some difficulties on Friday (October 10) to keep eighteen baby boas under control as she took them to visit their mother Susi.
(Boas) "require an environment which is identical to their wildlife habitat -- moist or dry surroundings -- and you have to know everything about them", Heidenthaler told Reuters Television.
"You have to feed them but they eat very little: during the winter every four weeks, during the summer every two.
That's enough for them".
Five metre long mother Susi had her eighteen babies on June 30. At age sixteen, she is considered to be an old snake.
Younger snakes tend to have 50 to 60 babies at one time.
Baby boas leave the egg inside their mothers womb and are therefore born alive. The eighteen baby boas measure an average of 50 centimetres at the moment and will reach a length of between four to five metres.
Grown boas are relatively small, compared to pythons which can reach up to seven metres. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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