By
Lily Nothing 1/13/19, Australia, Broadcast News
For
video go to
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-01-14/nike-the-carpet-python-riddled-with-ticks-recovering/10711112
A
carpet python "saved from certain death" after being rescued from a
Gold Coast pool is being treated for anaemia after having more than 500 ticks
removed from its body, a wildlife hospital says.
The
snake, which has been named Nike, was discovered at a Coolangatta property last
week.
Tony
Harrison from Gold Coast and Brisbane Snake Catcher, who was called out to
retrieve the animal, said the snake was "trying to drown" the ticks
in the water.
The
python was taken to the Currumbin Wildlife Hospital for treatment, where it
underwent testing and had 511 ticks removed from its body over several hours.
Senior
vet Michael Pyne said the snake was very weak when it was brought in for
treatment.
"The
initial thing is to get some heat into them, reptiles are solar driven and …
this guy was obviously found in a pool and was very cold," Dr Pyne said.
"We
do see a number of animals come in with significant tick burdens, but this guy
was at the very extreme end.
"To
have 500-odd ticks on him was just remarkable."
Dr
Pyne said while it was typical for snakes to attract ticks, the reptiles were
usually able to rub them off.
"There's
no doubt he wouldn't have survived if he wasn't brought in," he said.
Dr
Pyne said the python had probably been looking to soothe its skin rather than
trying to drown the ticks in the pool.
"It's
typical of snakes to look for water when they have skin irritations," he
said.
"He
certainly wasn't going to be able to drown the ticks, he'd run out of breath
well before the ticks will.”
In
a post on Facebook, the Currumbin Wildlife Hospital Foundation thanked the
public for its well wishes and interest in the case.
"Our
hospital staff removed 511 ticks from Nike, which left him very unwell with
anaemia," the post said.
"Nike
also has a nasty infection which may have caused his immobility, allowing the
ticks to take advantage of him.
"Nike
isn't out of the woods yet, but we are hopeful he will make a full recovery and
be released back into the wild in the coming months.”
The
snake has been left in the hands of an experienced wildlife carer.
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