Officials at the National Zoological Gardens in Dehiwala have lodged a complaint with the Dehiwala Police after a baby yellow anaconda was reported missing from the zoo.
The snake was among six reptiles illegally brought into Sri Lanka from Thailand by a local woman on 12 September. The smuggled animals included three species of snakes, among them the yellow anaconda.
The reptiles were subsequently taken into custody by Customs at the Katunayake International Airport and later transferred to the Dehiwala Zoo.
According to zoo officials, all six snakes were placed under a quarantine process, with plans to exhibit them to the public once the mandatory quarantine period was completed.
Kasun Hemanta Samarasekara, Deputy Director of the Dehiwala Zoo, stated earlier that the yellow anaconda is one of the heaviest snake species in the world and is native to South America.
He also noted that this missing baby yellow anaconda had not been part of the Dehiwala Zoo collection prior to its recent arrival. Authorities are continuing investigations into the disappearance.
