- By Poorva Karki
- Mon, 18 Sep 2023 05:34 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Australia and the Australians have created a reputation in the last few decades, where they are believed to be a bit different from the rest of the world when it comes to dangerous animals like snakes, spiders, and more. The country is especially popular for its residents being overly friendly with the scaled reptiles. From pythons hopping from tree to tree to Australians casually taking out snakes from their houses without any professional help, the country has numerous stories to tell, which are otherwise quite bizarre for people living outside the country. Adding to the list, another incident went viral, where an Australian man, Higor Fiuza, and his pet carpet python, Shiva, went viral on social media. The reason for their local celebrity moment was that the duo was surfing in the ocean and a video of the same was shared by Fiuza on his social media handle. But the entire adventure turned into a nightmare after the video caught the attention of the wildlife authorities.
Taking immediate action into the matter, the surfer from Australia’s Gold Coast was fined more than Rs 1 lakh for taking his snake for surfing. The authorities stated that the owner violated his permit to own a snake by taking the poor reptile out in public, according to the reports. Apart from that, the authorities also reportedly claimed that the reptile being a cold-blooded animal, would have found the ocean water colder, which endangered the pet.
Defending the decision, Fiuza reportedly stated that his pet appeared happy during the surfing and has done it many times in the past as well. An investigation over the matter is going on by the Queensland Department of Environment and Science. While wildlife officer Jonathan McDonald, also stressed on the potential threat that the snake carried against the native wildlife and the public, according to the reports.
The incident also did not sit well with the netizens, as most people called the behaviour immature, while people outside Australia dubbed the incident 'common' for Australia.
