Halting Herps - Herps in the News

With much news these days, especially those dealing with herps, tending to be of a depressing nature, I was overjoyed to find this news story!

Just yesterday in Brazil, a 10-foot green anaconda (Eunectes murinus) was documented attempting to cross a 4-lane interstate, complete with a median wall. Instead of continuing their commutes and injuring/killing the snake in the process, several of the motorists stopped, exited their vehicles, and proceeded to get all of the other motorists in all four lanes to do the same. One of these anaconda defenders stated that he was tired of always seeing dead snakes and wildlife in general on and along the interstate, feeling that such actions of roadkilling should be a crime.

Upon review of the video documentation, a biologist applauded the efforts made by the anaconda defenders but also warned against too closely documenting such creatures. Despite being non-venomous, with their large size and aggressively defensive behaviours, anacondas can pose a risk to those who are not cautious.

In terms of reporting, the article linked at the end, "Ten-foot Snake Stops Traffic in Brazil before Drivers Help It Cross Road" appears to be intended for a general audience. The bias is towards having allowances for animals to cross and disrupt the flow of traffic. A bias which, in my opinion, is a validated one and which is sadly not popularly shared.

This first link is the majority of the video documentation (the article, linked at the bottom, only shows the last portion of the snake crossing).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4d0uqXQnIj0

https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/news/112278660/tenfoot-snake-stops-traffic-in-brazil-before-drivers-help-it-cross-road