Residents in a Welsh town have found themselves living alongside the nation’s largest wild snakes and they’re loving it.
The locals of Colwyn Bay in North Wales have been snapping pictures of their slithering neighbours, the Aesculapian rat snakes. However, social media posts suggest that many of these reptiles are falling victim to road traffic.
These snakes were first introduced to the area in the 1960s by Welsh Mountain Zoo founder Robert Jackson, and today’s population is believed to be descendants of escapees.
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According to North Wales Live, the townsfolk are quite fond of these reptiles, with some conservationists even considering them a returning species due to evidence of their presence before the last ice age.
(Image: Lydia Mary Fernandez-Arias/North Wales Daily Post)
These large lizards are known for their appetite for vermin, helping to control the local rat population without causing any trouble to humans or pets. As of last year, it was estimated that around 60-70 breeding adults live in the area, which is a small population from a conservationist’s perspective.
Typically found in southern Mediterranean and Balkan countries, these snakes can still grow up to 4.5 feet long in the UK, outgrowing grass snakes and adders. In their native territories, these giants can reach lengths of up to 6ft.
The snakes are regular visitors to the Llanrwst Road garden of Lydia Mary Fernandez-Arias, near the mountain zoo. Usually they make themselves scarce but when they make an appearance, she’s happy to see them.
“They go out hunting in the summer and they like the long grass in my garden!” said Lydia last year.
(Image: Rachael Millar/North Wales Daily Post)
Bangor University researcher Tom Major has been tracking some of these snakes as part of his PhD studies.
He stated: “The population is stable but it’s very vulnerable, being so small.
“Ongoing development in the area, for housing, will always be a threat, as will road deaths.
“Building road culverts would help. Evidence suggests that is once snakes, or any other wildlife, become aware of culverts, they will use them.
“However these are not generally incorporated into transport policies in Britain and it’s unlikely they will be built in Colwyn Bay. Cost is one issue, the fact that these are a re-introduced species, is another.”
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