A royal python over a meter tall found in the countryside, in an evident state of hypothermia. This is what the Carabinieri of the Biodiversity department of Punta Marina recovered on Tuesday afternoon in the countryside of Lugo, in the province of Ravenna.
The specimen was identified as a Python regius of ancestral colour, about 1.2 meters long – a species included in Appendix II of the Cites Convention, which regulates the trade of animals and plants at risk of extinction at an international level. The reptile was transferred to the Territorial Reception Center for Confiscated or Seized Animals in Marina di Ravenna, where it was placed in a heated environment suited to its needs.
Investigations are underway, conducted together with the Carabinieri Forestale unit of Bagnacavallo, to trace those responsible: both voluntary abandonment and failure to keep safe – a hypothesis which could explain the animal’s escape – both criminally relevant circumstances, are being investigated.
The Carabinieri take this opportunity to remind you that keeping exotic species, even when permitted by law, requires full awareness of their needs and their longevity. Outside the controlled environment in which they live, these animals have little chance of survival and, if free, risk altering the local ecosystem.
