This is the shocking moment hunters show off the dead body of what could be the biggest snake ever found draped along the bonnet and roof of their car.
Animal lovers reacted with horror after footage of the men with the huge green anaconda (Eunectes murinus) on their yellow Chevrolet Spark car in the town of San Felix in the Bolivar state of north-eastern Venezuela.
The snake reportedly measured 8.56 metres (28 feet 1 inch) long and weighed around 100 kilogrammes (220 lbs).
The common or green anaconda (Eunectes murinus) is the largest snake in the world by weight, and the second longest, after the reticulated python.
The largest anaconda previously measured was just under 8.5 metres (28 feet) long with a girth of 44 inches, according to the Extreme Science website.
Eyewitness smartphone footage shows the hunters driving around with the massive snake on top of their car.
The head lies on the bonnet of the car, on top of a sheet of tarpaulin, while the body runs the length of the car with the tail pulled around inside an open rear window.
Local residents are seen gathered around the vehicle so they could see the snake which had previously often been spotted alive near the Orinoco River.
The footage is proving popular with viewers on social media and video-sharing platforms but many animal lovers were appalled the hunters had gone into the jungle to kill the snake.
Netizen ‘nicolasserratto’ commented: “What a pity… Beautiful animal… Ignorance is sometimes a killer. Wild animals are not food. They are part of a delicate balance we should respect, especially predators. Killing them will always affect us negatively.”
And ‘pedrodegabia’ added: “Outrageous that nobody defended the poor anaconda. Someone should have realised that it was a defenceless animal, we are the invaders of its natural habitat.”
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Story By: Ana Lacasa, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News
