Published on 12/09/2026 – 11:35 GMT+2
A 66-year-old walker near Kirchroth, in the district of Straubing-Bogen, discovered a constrictor snake more than two metres long basking beside the Danube. Realising it was not a native species, she alerted the authorities. “It was much longer than the snakes we usually see here,” she told police.
Grass snakes and Aesculapian snakes are commonly seen in the region. Both are non-venomous and can grow to impressive sizes, with Aesculapian snakes reaching nearly two metres in length.
Police and firefighters attended the scene with a reptile specialist, who identified the animal as an anaconda, a large constrictor native to South America.
The snake appeared to have been kept in captivity and did not resist when it was captured.
Keeping an anaconda in Bavaria is allowed only under strict conditions, as large constrictor snakes are classified under state law as dangerous wild animals.
Anacondas can grow up to nine metres long and weigh as much as 200 kilograms. Smaller individuals mainly feed on birds, while mature females can take larger prey, including mammals such as capybaras and young deer, as well as reptiles such as caimans. They kill by constriction before swallowing their prey whole.
