A giant anaconda was found dead in the Brazilian Amazon, presumably as a result of a gunshot wound, barely weeks after it was first discovered. An international team of 15 biologists discovered this anaconda in February, naming it Ana Julia. The snake weighed around 440 pounds and was over 26 feet long.
Bryan Fry, the professor who oversaw a team of scientists — that with assistance from the Indigenous Huaorani people, discovered a new species of green anaconda during filming Pole to Pole with actor Will Smith — shared this information.
“This particular specimen wasn’t one of the new species but was a southern green anaconda (Eunectes murinus),” Fry told USA Today.
Freek Vonk, another professor who was part of the team that discovered the southern green anaconda, shared the news on Instagram, writing, “With enormous pain in my heart, I want to let you know that the mighty big green anaconda I swam with was found dead in the river this weekend.”
Professor Vonk expressed his sadness and anger upon learning of Ana Julia’s death, calling the perpetrators who killed her “sick.”
According to a late Tuesday (March 26) update, which Vonk posted on Instagram, there is currently no proof that the green anaconda was shot and killed.
As per The Independent, the snake was found in the Formoso River in the remote Bonito district of southern Brazil.
Meanwhile, according to Fry, who spoke to USA Today, the killing of the snake is a senseless tragedy comparable to someone shooting a panda, even if it is not a record-breaking new species. “So incredibly maddening,” he said.
According to wildlife videographer Cristian Dimitris, the dead snake is the same one seen swimming with Vonk earlier.
He informed Metro.uk that he had made a comparison between her face's fingerprint-like characteristics. According to him, it's the most well-known anaconda in the world and embodies the essence of the area.
Juliana Terra, an expert in anacondas and researcher at the University of São Paulo, confirmed the snake’s identity and referred to Ana Julia as a “symbol for the Bonito region,” Metro.uk reported.
