Animal Planet show calls Phoenix Herpetological Society to persuade owner to part with his sick reptiles
Four large pythons and two collared lizards were removed from a man's home in Northern Arizona during taping of the Animal Planet show, "Confessions: Animal Hoarding." The Phoenix Herpetological Society was called by show producers in the hopes that the society would remove 30 animals, which included snakes, lizards, turtles, and salamanders.
According to a report in the Arizona Republic, the four pythons (three reticulated and an albino Burmese) were between 11 and 16 feet in length. All were malnourished and had bacterial infections, the report said. The rescuers said the man, who was not identified, wasn't a bad guy, he just didn't have the resources to feed all the animals in his possession.
The reticulated python (Python reticulatus) is the largest python in the world, capable of growing up to 33 feet and weighing up to 250 pounds. Its range is throughout Southeast Asia, Indonesia, and the Philippines, living in rainforests and grasslands near streams and rivers.
The Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus) can grow up to 19 feet and weigh up to 400 pounds. Its range is primarily Southeast Asia, but can also be found on the Indonesian island's of Java, Borneo and Sulawesi. The python's habitat includes grasslands, open clearings and woodlands near bodies of water.
