so on my behalf), each specimen was subjected to DNA
analysis, as well as photo-printing of the head scales and
pattern. Comprehensive measurements were taken, and
PET tags inserted into each animal. These were to be the
founder stock, and in all six animals, or three pairs, were
caught. One female came from the top of the East
Alligator, and the other five were located near Oenpelli
township (Gunbalanya).
So then it became a small matter of getting them to eat
and reproduce – simple. Not a chance. But rather than
bore you all to death with details, let’s skip forward to
the point where I did manage to breed them and was
rewarded with a heap of little Oenpelli Pythons. Again, I
will avoid a lengthy description of the heartache associ-
ated with losing those first poor babies. Suffice to say
that it was extremely difficult to get them feeding on
supplement their list of approved species by an act of
parliament. This could be changed, but apparently the
powers that be have seen fit to ensure there is a complete
lack of communication with the herp fraternity. Sure,
they have a ‘committee’ to ensure there is dialogue
about such matters, but in reality it has been disabled so
that decisions are based on wind speed or the colour of
undies rather than facts! Many years ago, Greg Fyfe and
I bred a few Spencer’s Monitors, and through extensive
lobbying this species was added to the keeping list
because it had been proved that sufficient animals could
be obtained from legitimate sources to satisfy demand.
This is just an observation, but there are currently more
captive-bred Oenpelli Pythons for sale than there were
Spencer’s Monitors when they were put on the Victorian
list. A backward step that may in fact be deliberate?
‘Had the Oenpelli venture failed, I would have faced
scathing criticism and been branded as
‘just another white guy on the take’ .’
rodents. As wild animals they will only eat birds – and
maybe bats from my experience – and their food items
must have a ‘wild’ smell about them. Finally, after a
huge amount of trial and error, I am the proud guardian
of a bunch of baby Oenpelli Pythons that will readily
take rodents (rats). I am now ready to sell some, to
recover part of the $250,000 I have spent making sure
this animal does not go the way of the Dodo.
Of course, if I had been working as part of a government
agency, it would have made little difference whether I
had succeeded or not, and I doubt if anyone would have
cared if the project failed. Zoos and other government
institutions often fail to reach their objectives –
sometimes they tell us, sometimes they are forced to
admit it, but if they can get away with it, they are likely
to say nothing. However, had the privately-conceived
Oenpelli venture failed, I would have faced condemna-
tion by the herp community and scathing criticism from
those charged with furthering conservation in this
country – irrespective of their own track record and
shortcomings. I would have let down the very people I
was trying to help and been branded as ‘just another
white guy on the take’ as someone once told me.
Ironically, on the cusp of successful completion,