Boa Constrictors And Muscovy Ducks

    Today, I took Jalani, my pet red-tail boa constrictor out in the back yard for some "exercise" on the grass. Today is one of the last days of the year when we can expect sunny and mildly warm weather. I never use Jalani to tease or provoke our other pets, but it is comical nonetheless to view their reactions.
     The Blue Swedish ducks and Brown Chinese geese tend to gawk at Jalani. Their heads perked high, their necks angled to view this seven foot-plus reptile slithering on the grass, is about all they'll do. The ducks might let out a warning quack, and they'll either stay where they are like statues or they'll move farther away from Jalani.
     The Muscovy ducks, a breed that originated in South America, have a different reaction. (Muscovy ducks are the ones with a red comb on their bills, and they "hiss" instead of quack.) The Muscovy ducks literally come running toward Jalani. I position myself between the snake and the ducks, out of concern that the ducks will attack Jalani.
     After I've made it clear to the ducks that they're not getting the snake, they just stand alert, heads cocked in the direction of Jalani's head, following her every movement. When the snake moves, the ducks move, in conjunction with the direction that Jalani's head is pointed in the yard.
     I wish I knew the Muscovys' interest in reptiles. More specifically, would the ducks actually attack the snake if I weren't present? Who would win such a battle? Somewhere in my memory, I remember hearing one time about Muscovy ducks being a good "watchdog." There was presumably some rodent or predator that Muscovys would attack and kill. Was it a mongoose? Or am I confusing Muscovy ducks with the Rudyard Kipling story Rikki Tikki Tavi, about a mongoose that saves an Indian family from a venomous snake?
     In any event, Jalani is a gentle and harmless (from my perspective) animal. She gets her name from a Cheetah that Wildlife Safari in Winston acquired about the same time that I acquired Jalani. A news story that aired when Jalani (the cheetah) arrived at the game park, said the name means "the mighty one" in some African language.