Snake Sightings UK: Snake on the loose in Bromley leaves neighbours in a tangle

By David Mills


A SLIPPERY character is at large in Bromley but rattled neighbours are being warned not to get too hissterical.

Households in Bishops Avenue adder shock earlier this week when they spotted a 4ft snake slithering along the road.

Police and the RSPCA were called but they needed to contact an expert to shed light on what kind of species it was and more importantly, if it was dangerous.

Snake handler Samantha May, who was contacted by police, told families not to panic as it was simply a harmless corn snake, rather than a python as one neighbour feared.

After seeing a photo captured on a mobile phone, she said: “It’s definitely a corn snake.

“They’re not dangerous and non-venomous. They like to be handled.

“It could have been let out by someone who didn’t want it or it could have escaped."

It was not the first sighting, and residents believe it has taken refuge under a shed.

Mum-of-two Dale Hough, who lives in Bishops Avenue, said: “It’s been here for about two weeks now and it’s still at large.

“I’ve never seen anything quite like it. It’s really quite amazing.

“We think it’s probably someone’s pet that has escaped."

The 60-year-old added: “Residents are reassured it’s not dangerous.

“My neighbour spotted it when he was walking with his two young children. They were absolutely petrified.

“Someone thought it could be a python because it had a big mouth.

“We think it probably went to ground beneath a shed.”

Mrs May, who breeds snakes, also said family pets would not be in any danger.

She said: “It wouldn’t cause any harm to pets.

“If it came across a cat, a cat would probably do more damage.”

She added: "I’ve had a few cornsnakes that get out - they’re good at pushing the glass roof out of their tank.

“If they spot it you can literally pick it up and put it in a box.

“Wear a pair of gardening gloves and even if it was to bite you wouldn’t feel anything.”

Source: http://www.newsshopper.co.uk 

Adder Thefts in Gloucestershire

A study found the number of adders in the UK had declined since 2007

Police are investigating a report that four men were seen removing adders from a Gloucestershire tourist site.

The group was spotted in the Forest of Dean by a member of the public who reported the details of the grey vehicle they were driving.

A police spokesman said they were unaware of similar incidents before and would be actively investigating it.

In March a nationwide survey of UK amphibian and reptiles revealed that adder numbers were in serious decline.

The adder - Britain's only venomous snake - is protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 making it an offence to kill, harm or injure them.

It is also an offence to sell them or trade them in any way.

"If people are actually removing adders it can only be for personal gain," said Rob Ward, 42, who has monitored snakes in the Forest of Dean for almost 35 years.

He said it was "disturbing" that snakes in the wild might be caught to sell on or add to a personal collection.

Stuart Burgess from the Forestry Commission encouraged visitors to the Forest of Dean to report any suspicious activity directly to the police.

Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-13427188

Reptile News: Endangered South African gecko found in Flintshire, Wales

by Kate Forrester

A RARE reptile has hitched a ride to Flintshire in a delivery of stone from South Africa.

The endangered rock gecko was discovered by a shocked family in Hawarden, who had ordered a batch of a special type of stone for building works at their house.

They took the tiny creature to their local vet and it is now being cared for at Flintshire Wildlife and Pet Rescue in Greenfield.

Rescue centre owner Elfyn Pierce-Jones said the lizard was so rare he had to notify Defra, the national government department for environment, food and rural affairs.

He told the Daily Post: “We were called to come and collect the lizard from the vet and we had no idea what it was at first.

“It was freezing cold and dying, so it had turned black and we had to put it on a heatpad straight away.

“We were told it was probably a British newt, but have since discovered it is actually a very endangered South African species which should not even be in this country.

“It seems to have come over in the consignment of special stone and the family found it when they started moving it.

“They took it for granted that it was a British species.”

Elfyn suffered a nasty bite from the six-inch long creature when he tried to transfer it from the heatpad into a special vivarium.

He added: “It only has very small teeth, but they are sharp enough to puncture the skin.

“Thankfully it didn’t do any real harm, but it did latch on to my finger.

“I have informed Defra and have been told it has to stay here indefinitely, because it cannot be re-homed as an endangered species.

“I have no idea how it even survived the journey, because it would have come over by ship.

“It was in a bad way when we took it in, but after spending some time on the heatpad and eating some food it was totally fine.”

There are hundreds of species of gecko worldwide, but only nine different types of African gecko.

Rock geckos often prefer to live in damp cave entrances or rocky outcrops, but have also been found in tree trunks near to rocks.

They are largely nocturnal and have round pupils and slender, clawed toes.

Unlike many other species of gecko, they lack adhesive pads on their feet, which enable other types of lizard to climb walls and other vertical surfaces more easily.

Link: http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/2011/05/13/endangered-south-african-gecko-found-in-flintshire-55578-28686042/