A white-lipped viper was rescued in Bahia after being found on a bus coming from São Paulo. A Trimeresurus insularis arrived at the Butantan Biological Museum on June 14, 2023 and was given a special name in honor of Brazilian singer Rita Lee, who passed away in May of the same year.
With red eyes and a rare blue color, the viper measures 65 centimeters and weighs just over 60 grams. Before arriving in São Paulo, he had to pass through Porto Seguro Wild Animal Screening Center (BA) along with 59 other animals that were being transported illegally.
“We set up a space with tree branches and vegetation similar to the species’ natural habitat to help with adaptation. The snake didn't want to feed for a few days and practically didn't move until it felt safe. But now he is eating normally”, says the scientific researcher and animal maintenance coordinator at the museum, Silvia Cardoso.
Rita Lee's connection with snakes goes beyond the song “Erva Venenosa”, which she has performed dressed as a cobra. The queen of Brazilian rock arrived rescue boa constrictors who were part of a show Alice Cooper in 1974.
The researcher and director of the Butantan Biological Museum, Erika Hingst-Zaher, explains the singer’s true relationship with the snake, named “Beautiful boy “.
“This snake is our 'blue sheep', because she is very different, just like Rita, who was innovative in ideas, music and environmental conservation through her books. We wanted to pay tribute to her important influence on our culture, especially for women, and to encourage girls to become more interested in science”, says the director.
The blue color of its species is considered uncommon, occurring only on some islands in Indonesia, where it lives.
“It is a color polymorphism, that is, when species undergo variations in color, size or behavior for environmental and evolutionary reasons, explains the biologist and herpetologist from the Zoological Collections Laboratory of the Butantan Institute Francisco Luís Franco .
As it is exotic, one of the greatest dangers is that the serum against its venom not available in Brazil . “It is highly irresponsible to bring these snakes in this way, without any care for the animal and with the risk of accidents occurring without the appropriate antivenin available”, ponders Silvia Cardoso, scientific researcher and animal maintenance coordinator at the museum.
The “Boy Bonito” snake can be visited at the Biological Museum, located in Butantan Science Park, located at Av. Vital Brasil, 1500 / Open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 7am to 5pm.
With information from Camila Neumam from Instituto Butantan
Source: CNN Brasil
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