YESTERDAY, the Highway Mail reported that Pippa, the Southern African Rock Python rescued from a storm water Culvert in Shongweni last month, was slowly recovering at the Dangerous Creatures Exhibit at the uShaka Village Walk and was set to be released back into the wild.

However, we were soon alerted to the possibility that the three-metre reptile had in fact died a few days earlier.

Today, Ann Kunz of Ushaka Marine World confirmed Pippa’s sudden and unexpected death.

“She was doing so well. After she was brought into our rehabilitation centre she had warmed up and our veterinary team had very high hopes for her recovery,” she said.

Then Pippa took an turn for the worse.

“It happened almost overnight. It was something we did not expect. It happened so suddenly that our veterinary team did not update us on the situation before the press releases were sent out,” added Kunz.

The exact cause of Pippa’s death is still unknown, but Kunz said they suspected liver damage.

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