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The San Diego Zoo’s albino burmese python
Pictures copyright 2010 by Russel Ray Photos
In my opinion, the best time to go to the San Diego Zoo is at 9:00 a.m. when it opens. It’s not very crowded and the wildlife is up and at ‘em, looking for food from the Zookeepers or looking for the best spot to lay out in the sun for the rest of the day.
Usually I go to the Zoo alone because none of my friends are morning people and I dislike the afternoon crowds since you can’t see the wildlife.
I’m making new friends…..
This morning I took my weekly trip to the San Diego Zoo but went with a group of about twenty members of the Pacific Photographic Society, a meetup group. Much more enjoyable.
In two hours I took 158 pictures. Since I had accidentally left my Canon 550D on the RAW picture setting instead of RAW + JPEG, it took me the rest of the day to process those 158 RAW pictures. Live and learn.
Here are some pictures of the Zoo’s albino burmese python:
Pictures copyright 2010 by Russel Ray Photos
Pictures copyright 2010 by Russel Ray Photos
Pictures copyright 2010 by Russel Ray Photos
Pictures copyright 2010 by Russel Ray Photos
The Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus) is the largest of the Indian pythons and one of the largest snakes in the world. They average about twelve feet long but can get up to nineteen feet long in the wild. The resident at the San Diego Zoo is eighteen feet long.
Although they are native to India and Southeast Asia, they have taken up residence in Florida, specifically the Everglades, due to owners releasing their too-large-for-the-home snakes into the wild but mostly due to a breeding facility that destroyed by Hurricane Andrew in 1992. They are now considered an invasive species in Florida due to their apparent hunger for foxes, rabbits, raccoons, opossums, and even deer. Since 1992, sightings of raccoons and opossums are down by around 99%, and white-tailed deer signtings are down by about 94%.
Please, people, if you have a pet that you no longer want — dog, cat, snake, lizard, fish, whatever — first approach the business you bought it from. Many of them will take it back, some of them even paying you for its return. If the business is out of business, contact your local wildlife organization and they will help you. It’s cruel to dump an unwanted pet in the wild.
Pictures copyright 2010 by Russel Ray Photos
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