A reptile specialist identified an anaconda beside the Danube near Kirchroth, Bavaria, after a 66-year-old woman reported seeing a snake over 6.5 feet (2 meters) long. Police and firefighters responded, and signs suggested it had spent time in captivity.
Anacondas are outside their natural range in Germany; grass snakes and Aesculapian snakes are more commonly encountered near Kirchroth. Euronews reported that Bavaria classifies anacondas as “dangerous animals of a wild species” and permits them to be kept only if strict requirements are met.
