Sri Lanka Pageant Dance With Python Sparks Fine
SingTao · 1 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
A beauty pageant performance in Sri Lanka has drawn backlash after 19-year-old contestant Methmi Hiranya appeared on stage with a protected python on March 7 . In widely shared footage, she danced before revealing a 2.1-metre non-venomous python from a black bag and performing with it in front of judges . Wildlife authorities investigated, and Hiranya as well as the man who provided the snake admitted the offence and were fined by the court . Officials added that the python was later returned safely to the wild, while reiterating Sri Lanka's strict protections for wildlife .
Key Points
- The contestant, identified as 19-year-old Methmi Hiranya, used a protected python during a pageant dance performance held on March 7 in Sri Lanka .
- Video of the act showed her first dancing alone, then taking a 2.1-metre non-venomous python from a black bag on stage .
- She placed the snake over her shoulders, lifted it up and spun before judges, prompting online criticism and animal welfare concerns .
- Wildlife protection officers investigated and found Hiranya and the snake's supplier had violated regulations covering protected wild animals .
- The court imposed maximum fines of 50,000 Sri Lankan rupees on Hiranya and 100,000 rupees on the man who supplied the python .
Why It Matters
The case highlights how performances involving wild animals can quickly become legal and ethical issues when protected species are used for entertainment . It also underlines Sri Lanka's emphasis on wildlife conservation, where even public displays may attract criminal penalties if authorities judge them to involve abuse, harm or improper exploitation .