Python once mistaken for dead shows remarkable recovery after devastating head injuries

Desirée, a 4.3-meter (14-foot) python that rescuers first mistook for dead because of her severe injuries, showed a dramatic sign of recovery on her sixth day at a wildlife hospital when she attempted to bite the veterinarian treating her.

What happened?

According to News24, the Southern African python weighed roughly 100 pounds and was found on farmland near Zeerust in South Africa in late May, after what appeared to be a blow to the head.

Wendy Willson, co-director of Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital, said the snake was barely responsive when she was discovered and had suffered several fractures to her skull and jaw.

News24 noted that staff stabilized Desirée overnight before flying her to the veterinary hospital by helicopter. Willson said they ruled out a four-hour drive because "reptiles respond badly to vibrations" and there were concerns the snake would not survive the trip by road.

Getting Desirée to treatment took a coordinated effort involving the snake's rescuer, a local veterinarian, a pilot, and a farmer who cleared a landing site for the helicopter near the hospital.

Once she arrived, Desirée was kept in a heated tank while veterinarians completed a more detailed assessment. News24 reported that her injuries included a crushed skull, broken jaw bones, and swelling caused by brain trauma.

After six days of care, however, Willson said the snake was on the road to recovery. 

"She's quite feisty, and after some love and treatment, on day six, she tried to bite the vet. And we all rejoiced," Willson told News24, noting the attempted bite was a sign of improvement.

Why does it matter?

The python appears to have been attacked out of fear, underscoring how encounters can turn violent when people and wild animals share space, especially near farms and developed areas.

Willson told News24 that, as an apex predator, Desirée helps maintain ecological balance and that losing a mature breeding female believed to be more than 20 years old would be "a significant loss for conservation."

Healthy predator populations can keep other animal numbers in check across landscapes.

What are people saying?

Willson said Desirée looked close to dead when the rescue began.

"When he got there, it looked like she had been killed," she said of the rescuer who found the snake, per News24.

Willson also pointed to the effort that followed once Desirée was found.

"One person caused her suffering. An entire community came together to save her. Keep Desirée in your thoughts as her recovery continues," she said.

The reptile will remain in care until she is able to survive on her own.

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