The Reliance Foundation’s Vantara initiative, conceived and announced by Anant Ambani on Monday, already has a number of success stories to its credit. One of them is the case of a rescued Burmese python, which is listed as ‘vulnerable’ as per the IUCN Red List despite being one of the largest species of snakes in the world.
The veterinary team at the 650-acre rescue and rehabilitation centre managed to carry out a successful operation on the reptile, underscoring the importance of timely surgical intervention and post-operative care. Not only that, this case also highlights the dedication of the staff at the centre that handles more than 2,000 rescued animals across 43 species from around the world.
The female Burmese python had a coelomic abscess – in simpler terms, this can mean a growth inside the body cavity – due to which it was experiencing loss of appetite. The snake was rescued and brought to the veterinary hospital at Vantara for treatment.
According to the experts, she exhibited “chronic inappetence” (chronic loss of appetite) and had a “palpable mass in her coelomic cavity (or body cavity, in this case), initially suspected to be a faecaloma (a mass of hardened faecal matter, as per the National Institutes of Health)”.
But, the snake did not show any signs of improvement despite conservative therapy. Hence, it was operated upon. The veterinarians put the reptile under general anaesthesia and performed an exploratory coelotomy. They also extracted a 3-foot and 4.5-kg abscess filled with “caseated pus”. The abscess was excised and the surgical site cleaned and sutured.
The python also underwent post-operative care and regular follow-ups via radiographs and blood work, showing significant improvement. In a relief to the veterinary team at Vantara, the snake finally regained its appetite and resumed feeding.
The procedure was possible due to the state-of-the-art infrastructure available at the rescue and rehabilitation centre at Vantara. It has a hospital and medical research centre with the most advanced technology, including an intensive care unit, MRI, CT scan, X-ray, ultrasound, endoscopy, dental scalar, lithotripsy, dialysis, OR1 technology that enables live videoconferencing for surgeries as well as a blood plasma separator.
Earlier, in an interview with CNN-News18, Anant Ambani said the newly announced initiative is driven by the cause of animal welfare and his will to give back to society. Vantara is spread over 3,000 acres within the green belt of Reliance’s Jamnagar refinery complex in Gujarat.
The son of Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani and philanthropist Nita Ambani, Anant is soon to be married to his fiancee Radhika Merchant. Amid announcing this initiative that is close to his heart, he is also gearing up for his pre-wedding festivities in Jamnagar from March 1 to 3, which will be attended by the who’s who of business and entertainment.
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