Last Friday, a user of the Facebook group “Ibiza winter residents” shared a post that read: ‘One less snake!’ and showed a picture of the animal’s carcass, laid out lengthwise on the dining room table next to a broom. ‘Well done, Umah!’ continues the author of the post, congratulating her pet for catching the snake. ‘This thing was outside the house, hidden under the frame on the outside, next to the dining room table,’ says the user, referring to the reptile.
Environmental associations have been denouncing the snake infestation for several years, although for the moment the population of these reptiles has only increased. Although the snakes found are not poisonous and do not pose a serious threat to humans, they are a threat to other small species such as Podarcis pityusensis, a species of lizard endemic to the islands.
As a result of this lack of control, the Ibiza Town Council has decided to implement a series of emergency plans to stop the proliferation of these specimens. Even so, the measures seem insufficient to curb this plague, which every year poses a more serious threat to the native biodiversity of the islands and its fauna, as well as being a major nuisance for those who live in the countryside.
And, another snake was spotted on Monday morning in the town centre of Sant Francesc in Formentera, according to Ràdio Illa. The discovery caused great surprise and alarm among residents, who quickly alerted the emergency services. Upon arriving at the scene, emergency personnel located the reptile and proceeded to kill it.
Identifying the snakes found on the Balearic Islands can be complicated for the average citizen. Five different species of snakes are present on the islands, two of which are considered local due to the year of their introduction: these are the garrigue snake and the water snake. It should be noted that the garrigue snake is a protected species and, if captured, must be released.
The other three species present on the islands are the serp de ferradura (horseshoe snake), the serp verda (green snake) and the serp blanca (white snake). In this case, the Conselleria recommends capturing the creatures in order to reduce their population. Although these animals are protected species on mainland Spain, in the Balearic Islands they lose this protection as they are introduced species.
None of the species mentioned are dangerous to humans and if an introduced snake is caught or located, the COFIB (Consortium for the Recovery of the Fauna of the Balearic Islands) should be contacted to indicate how to act. If the animal cannot be kept under control, the best option is to eliminate it by means of a procedure that avoids unnecessary suffering.
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Kill Kill Kill that is all you hear. Leave them alone people, if you don't like snakes walk away, walk around them but do NOT kill them. Leave them alone like any other living creature. No one wants rats, mice or cockroaches in their houses. They have to be got rid of, killed. But unless you have snakes in the house leave them well alone. If you find one in your house and cannot encourage it to leave then find someone who can .They are harmless and just want to be left alone.
I've read that there's increasing travel from the united snakes. Maybe they're like Richard; just arrive and never leave.