Victor Valley College Tropical Research Initiative
Herpetofauna of Timor-Leste
Phase III

Dili, Dili District

We had been requested to pick up a Reticulated python (Python r. reticulatus) that was being kept in a suburb of Dili, and arrange its release into the wild.

On the way to the location we passed a WWII memorial to Portuguese victims of the Japanese invasion of Timor. I am always interested in WWII memorials (see Papua New Guinea 2006).

Memorial to the Portuguese victims of the Japanese during WWII, erected in 1946 at Taibesse, Dili, Dili District.	One of two field guns alongside the memorial.

It turned out there were two pythons (2.8m and 3.2m) and a third python at another location (3.55m). Over the next day we arranged to collect all three for release although it required going through a ceremony whereby a rooster was sacrificed in each location. That would have been fine had not the owner of the first two pythons (Rio) dripped hot rooster blood over two hungry and interested pythons, and me...., in the process.

The two Reticulated pythons, Python reticulatus, in the corner of the bedroom.	Negotiations underway between the Head of the President's Security, Rio (centre) and the environmental officer (with pack). Hinrich and I stayed out of the discussion.
Hinrich at the market buying roosters !
Outside the bedroom the crowd is fascinated, but excluded.	Inside the bedroom I hold the pythons, Rio prepares the rooster, and Benny looks on.

When the python transfer was completed Rio said he had heard about our project and would like to join us in the field next time we were in Timor-Leste. He is a tourism student and a friend of Luis Lemos, one of our "Jets". I seems we may have recruited our first proto-Jet!

Both pythons are given a bath in the shower of the Timor Lodge Hotel to assist them to slough.	Then photographed outside, where they drew a crowd. The sore nose will heal.

We received the third python and bathed and sloughed it as the other two. It was 3.5m had been in a cage for 15 years and was very flighty, requiring careful handling.

The python's lower jaw was inferior, like the python at Pante Macassar, from long spells lying or rubbing against a wide cage. The mouth was clean with no necrotic stomatitis (mouth canker) so it should cope well in the wild.

We also visited the Presidential Palace to meet President José Ramos-Horta and update him on the progress of our project. President Ramos-Horta has taken a strong interest in our herpetofaunal survey project from the onset and his support has been very well received by the expedition. We have met with him on two previous occasions, at the ends of Phases I and II, and his interest in reptiles seems to have grown.

The Presidential Palace, Dili.	The Presidential Ceremonial Guard.

An audience with the President of Timor-Leste. (L-R): Laca, court photographer, Caitlin, Benny, Andrew, Rio, Hinrich, President José Ramos-Horta, Mark, Christy, Eric and Dominique (the photographer cropped Luis who was next to Dominique).

The President had already admitted he was no lover of snakes at an earlier meeting and I did my best to explain why snakes like pythons were important to have around. This may have been in his thoughts when he decreed that the captive pythons would not be harmed, but would be released.

We took two pythons to the meeting at the Presidential Palace, the Macklot's water python (Liasis mackloti mackloti) and the 3.2m Reticulated python.

Eric Leatham introduces President José Ramos-Horta to the Macklot's water python	Yes, okay, its a tie, but it is a herp tie.

These two snakes provided ample interest and photo opportunities although all my pleas for conservation of pythons may have received a knock back when the retic bit me on the arm whilst I was showing it to the President!

Luis and Mark introduce the 3.2m Reticulated Python to the President.	Notice the large haematoma on the left wrist from the bite moments earlier. Well you have to laugh don't you!

Mark with the Reticulated python in the Presidential Palace entrance hall. Another record-breaking reptile looks on.
Rio holds court for the press and visitors.	Introducing the Presidential Ceremonial Guard to the python.

The President even made arrangments to provide a car and driver to take the pythons to an area he is considering as a wildlife refuge. On the final day, when Hinrich and the rest of the group had departed for the United States, via Australia, I was still at the Timor Lodge Hotel awaiting a later flight to Indonesian, UAE and home so I was around to assist Benny, Laca and Rio as they loaded the three large retics into a government vehicle and took them to the designated release site. The Macklot's python, our ambassadeur on so many occasions during Phase III, was also released at a quite rice paddy Laca had found.