Giant Anaconda Caught in Neighborhood

Brazil News

CUIABÁ, Brazil – Environmental police in a residential neighborhood of Cuiabá caught a 20-foot long, 264 pound anaconda on Wednesday. Aided by city firefighters, police returned the giant serpent to its natural habitat in the Pantanal, reported online media. Cuiabá is the capital city of the Central-West Brazilian state of Mato Grosso.

Giant Anaconda (Photo: G1/Mara Teixeira)

“Probably the snake would not survive if it were placed in captivity, so we opted to return it to its native locale,” Fire Department Sargent Antônio Ventura Moraes Silva told G1.

Professor of Biology and Zoology at the Federal University of Mato Grosso, Marcos

André de Carvalho, says that it is a common occurrence to find this species of boa in urban areas, especially when the region is near riparian streams or rivers.

Despite the excitement the snakes unexpected visit to the city caused, the professor points out that the serpent is not poisonous and feeds on small animals. Being an aquatic snake species, its appearance is common in regions near the Amazon river basin. “It only presents a danger when it feels threatened or is in search of food,” the professor told G1.