Higor Fiuza and his buddy Shiva, that bredli carpet python of his, they made quite the splash in our neck of the woods not too long ago. I mean, who could forget that viral video of them riding those waves? It was all the rage, got folks talkin’ and cheerin’ ’round these parts.
But, as luck would have it, their newfound fame turned out to be a double-edged sword, ’cause them wildlife protectors came a-knockin’. They reckon Higor put Shiva in harm’s way and busted his permit wide open by trotting that snake out in public like it’s no big deal.
The bigwigs over at Queensland’s Department of Environment and Science, they rolled up their sleeves and started diggin’ into this here saga soon as they saw Mr. Fiuza flashin’ his grin on the local news. And lo and behold, this week, they slapped him with a hefty fine – A$2,322 to be exact, which is no chump change, mind you.
Now, according to the folks in the know, takin’ your native pets for a stroll in the limelight can rile ’em up something fierce, throw ’em off their game, and have ’em actin’ downright unpredictable. Jonathan McDonald, the wildlife sheriff in town, even piped in with a stern word, sayin’ that snakes, well, they’re cold-blooded critters who ain’t too keen on takin’ a dip. Reptiles, in general, steer clear of water, except for them sea snakes, of course.
But Mr. Fiuza, bless his heart, he’s been singin’ a different tune to the local press. He swears that Shiva’s got a hankerin’ for the water and that they’ve caught at least ten waves together. He says, “I’d take her down to the beach, and she’d paddle ’round like a fish in the sea. So, one fine day, I thought, ‘Why not take her surfin’?’ And durn it all, she took to it like a duck to water.”
He’s also quick to point out that when Shiva don’t like somethin’, she don’t hold back – hissin’ and fussin’ up a storm. But in them waves, she’s cooler than a cucumber, just chillin’.
Now, ain’t that a twist of fate? Speaking of twistin’, it ain’t just Shiva ridin’ those waves over at Rainbow Bay. Nope, there’s a duck, goes by the name of Duck, mind you, and that feathered fella’s a regular show-stealer. Rumor has it Duck’s even been known to swipe a wave or two from Australian surf champ Steph Gilmore. Life’s funny that way, ain’t it?
