The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-07-06
FATIMA FLAYED ALIVE.
Remarkable Proceedings In the New
York Zoo.
(New York JournaL)

tNeW York JOUrnaLO
One Of the most singular inhabitants
OF New York is Fatima, the great East
Indian python in the new Zoo in Bronx
park She is twenty-five feet long. and
possesses strength enough to crush anv
morse 10 jelly. In spite of peCrIliaririe
which do not recommend her 10 ne
FAVOR OF the average citizen. it is quite
possible to cultivate an acquaintance
with Fatima- The keepers are eradu-
any growing quite familiar with her.
FylhonS, It seems, are not without in
teIllSence, and are even caDabie of
gratitude and friendship. Fatima oc-
cuples hne, large house in the Zoo.
surrounded by every comfort. and by
glass, 50 that the temperature may be
kept even. 1t also has d large tree IN
the middle, about which she may coil
herself when she needs exercise.
Soon after her arrival Fatima sur
prlsed the Zoo by laying Seventy-fve
eggs she cOlled about them with
/, louchlng maternal sOlicitude, and evil
IDENTITY cherished the hope of hatchine.
out Seventy-five little pythons to
orlSnten her captivity. To her sorrow
she failed 10 hatch out one of them. A.
caIamlty attributed 10 the cold from
when she had suffered on the yOvaRe
The eggs were removed from her case
proceeding which she resented ener-
getcaIly with lashings of the tail and
, oIher manifestations. The other week
tdtlIna gave indications that she was
about TO shed her skin. according, to
the manner o. pythOns. Her outer skin
became loose and dry and lost its bril-
hant color Finally her eyes became
white, a sign that the time for casting
on the old skin had arrived.
The python changes the skin of its
eyes with the rest Of its integument.
Al TINS stage the reptile becomes TEN
porarlly blind. and is particularly dan
gerOuS, because il viii strike ar a
friend, not being able TO recognize one.
1t is necessary that a python should
get rid of its Old skin within a certain
time, or it Will suffer from a fatal dis
ease In order that it should be relieved
OF the skin il must display 4 certain
amount of activity. Now the precious
FaJIma Sulked in her old skin. and
there was strong probability that she
would die. It was. therefore decided
10 take the skin from her by force Her.
bdthtub was nIled-With hot water and
the cage was filed with steam until a
temperature of 100 degrees was reached.
THIS, of course, was 10 aid the separa-
ton Of the skin.
Keepers Snyder and Dahl and lTr.
the cage They held q blanket before
them on pole TO serve as a screen
with which to ward away any blows
FatIma might make at them. A big
python strikes with a force that will
knock any man down. and her curved
, teeth. having once taken hold of an
object. cannot let go.
The daring men having entered the
cage. Fatima showed some irritation.
I an rrar0r q 49, IL
She was particularly diSpleased with
Snyder. q very enterpriSing young
man. for she cast about eight feet of
head and neck in his direction He
went UD the tree with admirable
promptitUde. Fatima was too slOthfui
10 follow him Keeper Dahl took ad-
vantage OF this diversion 10 tear q long
strip OF skin of F. TINA. He held the
blanket up TO shield him as he did so.
Strange 10 say. Fatima did not resent
this liberty All three men then set 10
work and pulled her skin OF. piece by
piece When Fatima really understood
what was going on she was as pleased
as a cat that Is being stroked. Finally
Fatima lay there IN all the glOries of
her new skin. bright and clean. and ar
ranged in an artistic pattern of black.
! brown and yellow squares
Soon Fatima presented another diff
fused 10 eat anything of her own ac-
cord She had not. in fact. eaten any
( thing for seven months Big snakes IN
captivity have a strange way Of ceasing
to eat altogether They remain alive
for very long time. more than a year.
even but eventually they fade away and
die. They Were very anxious To pre-
serve Fatima TO the city. and 50 they
decided to make her eat A lot OF Tab-
bits were tied 10 a bamboo pole and
soaked in oil 20 make them 60 down
easily. This feeding operation required
eight men. Two sat on Fatima's tail.
three held her body. two held her jaws
open. and one administered the food.
While they were pTying Fatima'S jaws
open one Of them had his finger badly
torn by her long curved teeth When
all was ready the feeder rammed his
rabbits down Fatima's throat. united
a string and removed the pole She
could not refuse the rabbits once they
had passed her teeth. HenCefOrth II is
hoped the python Will take a new in
tereSt in life