Amazon villagers kill chicken-stealing anacondas; scientists suggest safer coops

Amazon villagers living along Brazil’s Lower Amazon say green anacondas are increasingly becoming a threat to their poultry, entering chicken coops and swallowing birds. A study based on interviews with residents of five riverside communities in Pará has examined how these encounters shape people’s attitudes towards the giant snakes. Researchers found that the loss of domestic animals, rather than fear alone, was the leading reason residents gave for killing anacondas. The findings also document local knowledge of the reptiles’ behaviour, traditional beliefs surrounding a mythical Great Snake and practical suggestions for protecting poultry, including reinforcing coops with mesh.Why Amazon villagers are killing giant anacondas over stolen chickensThe research, titled The myth of the serpent: from the Great Snake to the henhouse, was published in Frontiers in Amphibian and Reptile Science on June 16, 2025. It was conducted in the Aritapera region of Santarém municipality in Brazil’s Pará state, focusing on five communities: Água Preta, Carapanatuba, Centro do Aritapera, Costa do Aritapera and Cabeça D’Onça.Researchers spent 64 days in the region in 2023, conducting interviews and recording conversations with residents. The study examined their experiences with anacondas, including encounters near homes, poultry losses, hunting practices and traditional beliefs.The findings showed that economic losses were the strongest reported motivation for killing the snakes.