Anacondas in Brevard raise questions for wildlife agency

Wildlife officials want to know how two nonnative green anacondas recently ended up slithering around Brevard County.

The first of the two deadly constrictor snakes was found in November by a fisherman near the St. Johns River at the Orange-Brevard county line.

A Melbourne resident found the second last week in a neighborhood just north of the Orlando-Melbourne International Airport.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers euthanized both snakes and started investigating, but said neither of the more than 8-foot snakes had legally required identification tags on them.

Meaning, officers couldn’t identify a possible owner. Biologists determined that the second snake had recently eaten a domestic rat, “leading investigators to believe that the snake had been privately owned,” Fish and Wildlife officials said.

But without the tag, officers haven’t been able to find out where it came from. So, they’re asking for help.

“Due to the proximity of these two snakes, the FWC asks the public to report to the FWC any information regarding the possible illegal breeding, possession or release of this nonnative species…,” officials said.

Florida Fish and Wildlife officials deemed the green anaconda — known for being one of the largest snakes in the world — a dangerous species in 2010, making it illegal for personal use.

Anyone who had one of the snakes before then was required to tag it with an electronic transponder, which essentially puts a barcode on the animal to let officials track it.

Federal law also prohibits the importation and transfer of anacondas without a permit. Wildlife officials said they’re concerned about the threat the lose snakes pose to residents and to wildlife.

Anyone with information about the snakes can call Fish and Wildlife at 888-404-3922 or by emailing tip@MyFWC.com.

COURTESY OF FLORIDA FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMMISSION This is the 8-foot, 8-inch anaconda captured in Melbourne on Feb. 1. State wildlife officials are still trying to determine how it ended up in Brevard County. Wildlife officials believe it may have been owned by an area resident, although it did not...