A Brazilian man went viral on social media after posting a video of himself surfing with his pet python in Queensland, Australia. However, fame was not so beneficial for the man known as Higor Fiuza, who was fined $2,322 (approximately R$7,200) last Thursday.
Higor Fiuza has received permission from the Australian government to breed the snake. However, he broke the rules by taking her out to sea. After the Queensland Department of Environment and Science became aware of the video, it fined the Brazilian, who had already been fined again, for leaving the house with the reptile.
1 in 4 Man Takes Python Surfing, Goes Viral and Fined in Australia; see Photo: Arte Esporte Man goes surfing with Python, goes viral and gets fined in Australia; see — Photo: Arte Esporte
The reptile, nicknamed Shiva, belongs to the python genus (Morelia bredli), is nonvenomous and, according to the Brazilian, loves surfing. Higor also states that he never had to save the snake from drowning and that it does not get angry in the panel;
She goes swimming for a bit and then gets back on the board. She’s just sailing and waiting for a wave… for the perfect wave Higor told Australian broadcaster ABC
Jonathan McDonald, a Queensland wildlife officer, told local press that the Brazilian could not even take the snake onto the road with his license, explaining that a second permit would be required to do so:
2 in 4 Man Takes Python Surfing, Goes Viral and Fined in Australia; see Photo: Reproduction man goes surfing with Python, goes viral and gets fined in Australia; see — Photo: Reproduction
License holders are not permitted to remove animals from their licensed premises (in the case of Higor, their residence) unless they take them to a veterinarian, sell or give the animal to another license holder or an authorized exhibitor. To take or display an animal in public requires a separate license from the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, McDonald said.
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McDonald added that reptiles avoid water because they are coldblooded animals and that taking them to sea can cause “unnecessary stress” and the risk of spreading disease to other animals.
“The python may have discovered that the water was extremely cold and the only snakes that should be in the sea are sea snakes,” the wildlife official added.
4 in 4 Man Takes Python Surfing, Goes Viral and Fined in Australia; see Photo: Reproduction man goes surfing with Python, goes viral and gets fined in Australia; see — Photo: Reproduction