Australian Man Fined 'Rs 13,000' For Surfing With Pet Snake Around His Neck

An Australian man found himself in hot water after he made the daring decision to take his pet snake surfing, with the reptile reportedly coiled around his neck. The controversy ignited on Australia's Gold Coast when a video of him riding the waves while carrying his carpet python went viral on social media. According to a BBC report, the Australian government has fined the man 2,322 Australian dollars (Rs 12,495) for not having the necessary permit to possess the reptile in public.

"Having an animal in public or displaying it requires a separate permit," stated Queensland's Department of Environment and Science. "Snakes are cold-blooded creatures, and although they can swim, reptiles generally avoid water. The python would have found the water to be extremely cold, and the only snakes that should be in the ocean are sea snakes."

Higor Fiuza, had previously shared with local media that his pet snake, Shiva, enjoys the water and has surfed with him at least ten times. "I always used to bring her to the beach, and she loved swimming, so one day I decided to take her surfing, and she loved it," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

"Normally, when she dislikes something, she starts hissing, but she doesn't hiss in the water; she's always relaxed."