Reptile & Amphibian Forums

METRO (London, UK) 02 January 08 The golf ball rattle snake
Photos at URL below
A snake has been saved by surgeryafter mistaking four golf balls for a meal of chicken eggs.
A couple had placed the balls in their chicken coup at Nobbys Creek in New South Wales state to encourage their hen to nest.
They found the eggs missing last month and a lumpy carpet python nearby.
They took the 80-centimeter (32-inch) non-venomous snake to the nearby Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, where senior veterinarian Michael Pyne operated to remove the balls from the snake's intestine.
Pyne said the snake was making a speedy recovery.
'Those golf balls weren't moving any further; they were stuck where they were,' Pyne said.
'If it hadn't been found, it would have died for sure,' he added.

Othre links to the story:

EXPRESSEN (Stockholm, Sweden) 04 January 08 Orm svalde fyra golfbollar.
http://www.expressen.se/nyheter/1.991023/orm-svalde-fyra-golfbollar

NGƯờI LAO ĐộNG (Vietnam) 04 January 08 Lầm lẫn tai hạI
http://www.nld.com.vn/tintuc/the-gioi/211723.asp

ALICE NOTIZIE (Italy) 03 January 08 Pitone ingoia 4 palline da golf - Il rettile le ha confuse per uova di gallina
http://notizie.alice.it/notizie/esteri/2008/01_gennaio/03/pitone_ingoia_4_palline_da_golf,13741776.html?pmk=rss

ESTADAO (São Paulo, Brazil) 03 January 08 Cobra é operada após engolir 4 bolas de golfe
http://www.estadao.com.br/geral/not_ger103904,0.htm

CYBERITA (Singapore) 03 January 08 Ada-Ada Saja... Sekali-sekali ular tukar selera
http://cyberita.asia1.com.sg/luarnegara/story/0,3617,110236,00.html

STAR GAZETTE (Ankara, Turkey) 03 January 08 Golf topu yiyen yılan
http://www.stargazete.com.tr/index.asp?haberid=136540

NEWSLAND (Moscow, Russia) 03 January 08 Питон проглотил мячи для гольфа, приняв их за куриные яйца
http://www.newsland.ru/News/Detail/id/206640/

NÉPSZAVA (Budapest, Hungary) 03 January 08 Tojásoknak hitte a golflabdákat, és jól beebédelt - Állatorvos mentette meg
http://www.nepszava.hu/default.asp?cCenter=OnlineCikk.asp&ArticleID=995780

EL MUNDO (Madrid, Spain) 02 January 08 Una serpiente pitón es operada para que le sean extraídas cuatro bolas de golf
http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2008/01/02/ciencia/1199267262.html

DE STANDAARD (Brussels, Belgium) 02 January 08 Slang succesvol geopereerd na maaltijd golfballen
http://www.standaard.be/Artikel/Detail.aspx?artikelId=DMF02012008_065

KALEVA (Oulu, Finland) 02 January 08 Golfpalloja niellyt python operoitiin Australiassa
http://www.kaleva.fi/plus/index.cfm?extra=-23&g=1877

DER SPIEGEL (Hamburg, Germany) 02 January 08 Python verwechselt Golfbälle mit Hühnereiern
http://www.spiegel.de/panorama/0,1518,526150,00.html

The golf ball rattle snake

GOLD COAST BULLETIN (Molendinar, Australia) 11 January 08 Snake balls sold to Aussie for $1401
Four old golf balls surgically removed at the Currumbin Sanctuary from a hapless python who swallowed them thinking they were hen eggs have been sold for $1401.
More than 500 eBay bidders from around the world were watching the auction which raised money for the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary's new community wildlife hospital on the Gold Coast.
The golf balls were removed from the snake last month in world first surgery after Augusta, a carpet python, slithered into a henhouse for a quick snack of hens eggs and swallowed the golf balls instead.
Unbeknown to the hungry Augusta, the owner of the brood hen had placed the golf balls in the hen house in a bid to encourage it to start laying.
Initially veterinarians had hoped Augusta would pass the golf balls naturally but surgery was needed to save the snake's life.
The winning bidder, an Australian, takes home the four unwashed golf balls removed from the snakes stomach and veterinary photographs and x-rays before and after the world-first surgery.
``Augusta the snake has received widespread media coverage, and his eBay items have proved just as intriguing as the story of how he swallowed the golf balls," said Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary's executive marketing manager, David Luxton.
The unusual eBay item caused quite a stir among international buyers after receiving extensive media attention from around the globe in such far flung places as Malaysia, Germany, France, South Africa, Pakistan, Canada, New Zealand and Mexico.
``Over the past week we had upwards of 500 eBay bidders from around the world watching the golf balls on their 'wanted items' list, so there's been a pretty big response,'' said Mr Luxton.
All proceeds from the eBay sale will go towards building a new Community Wildlife Hospital at the Sanctuary. The sanctuary receives no government funding whatsoever and relies solely on community and corporate donations.
``The hospital is inundated with more than 4000 animals each year, and space is such a premium, we need a new hospital built as soon as possible to cope with the demand,'' he said.
``This money will make a great contribution to getting our dreams of a new hospital underway.
``We're really grateful to all the people who jumped online and had a bid, obviously a lot of the bidders really wanted to get in and do their bit for the hospital.''
Snake balls sold to Aussie for $1401