Even before entering the emerging minefield of AI-generated videos, there was always uncertainty about whether user-generated content was real or staged. Somewhat unbelievable, which evidently extends to sightings of massive snakes in the wild.
A user took the bait on the r/InterestingAsF*** subreddit, sharing a video purportedly showing a hiker walking through the Pantanal in Brazil and talking to the camera after encountering a huge snake hanging out in a creek.
A few astute Redditors were quick to point out that things were not as they seemed.
“This video belongs to the owner of Piton, he is famous for showing his snake in different times and places, it is 100% entertainment,” they said. The link you check after watching a different version of the same videos on the TikTok page of Clau Souza (@clausouza4399), the owner.
A redditor followed with some logical follow-up: “How can someone have such a big snake? Where can you keep it?”
“Very big vivarium and a lot of time to get it out,” replied a user. “Ideally, the viv is at least as long as the snake, so for that, you’d essentially need a small personal zoo enclosure.”
Meanwhile, the Burmese python is an invasive and destructive species. He has no business in Brazil, so it is for the best that the snake did not genuinely take up residence there.
However, seeing them taken as exotic pets and brought around the world is frustrating in any case. The situation gets worse if the snakes manage to escape and wreak havoc outside their native ecosystem.
The problem is especially bad in South Florida, where invasive Burmese pythons have threatened many local wildlife such as foxes, bobcats, opossums, raccoons, and rabbits.
Florida is taking drastic steps to eradicate the problem, including numerous challenges and programs to incentivize animal hunting. Still, the scale of the problem and its enormous ripple effects on local wildlife show why Burmese pythons should not be used as pets or props in potentially viral videos.
Commenters on Reddit were alarmed by the footage.
“This guy could eat my whole family and still have room to bring my dogs along for dessert,” remarked a viewer.
“It’s actually a pretty big problem in Florida,” one said of the animals getting out into the wild.
“Huge ecological problem too,” added a different user. “The population of small mammals in the Everglades has declined.”
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