Three rare snakes bred at Prague Zoo; two young groups descend from smugglers

In late July 2026, Prague Zoo announced a rare triple success in its reptile collection, three snake species that had never bred there before produced young. Rough-scaled pythons hatched from a clutch of eggs, Nosy Komba ground boas gave birth to live young, and Tartar sand boas added a litter of their own. The animals come from three very different corners of the world, from the gorges of north-western Australia to the island of Madagascar and the sand dunes of Asia. Here is what happened, why the story matters for conservation and wildlife protection.How three snake species hatched or were born for the first time at Prague Zoo in the Troja districtPrague Zoo announced on 27 July 2026 that three snake species had reproduced there for the first time in its history. According to the zoo, a clutch of rough-scaled python eggs produced two young. A female Nosy Komba ground boa gave birth to ten, while a female Tartar sand boa delivered four. The Madagascan species appeared under different names in the press; the Prague Daily News called it the Madagascar boa and the brown boa, whereas the zoo's own name, used here, is the Nosy Komba ground boa.Rough-scaled pythons from north-western Au...