Huge anaconda doesn’t scare off curious fishermen

Some fishermen in Brazil came across a giant anaconda last week while heading down the Santa Maria river and just couldn’t help themselves.

The three fishermen came across the 17-foot snake, with a belly full of its prey, and chased it, prodding it with their oars until one of them could get his hands on it.

Despite his wife’s pleadings and with his friend recording the encounter, Betinho Borges grabbed the snake’s tail several times, eventually pulling it behind the boat before letting it go and watching it slither away.

But what may have been fun and games for the fishermen turned into a bit of trouble when the video was posted on Facebook. It was later removed, but the environmental police in the southwest state of Mato Grosso do Sul got a hold of the video and fined each fisherman the equivalent of $600, according to O Cerreio News.

They also face up to a year and a half in prison if convicted of hunting wildlife without a license.

Contact Graydon Johns at gjohns@reviewjournal.com. Find him on Twitter: @gjohns