Our town is overrun by huge SNAKES hiding in our gardens – but they are helping to get rid of an even bigger problem | The Sun
LOCALS in a sea-side town infested with snakes that swallow their prey whole are not complaining.
Colwyn Bay, in Denbighshire, North Wales,is famous for its Blue Flag beach, Victorian pier and Welsh Mountain Zoo.
But locals have been living alongside one of Europe's largest reptiles – the Aesculapian rat snake.
The rat snake is a constrictor, which means it normally wraps its body around its prey before consuming it whole.
But locals have to told NorthWalesLive that they are relaxed about the presence of the reptiles, which have helped rid the streets of vermin.
The snakes are regular visitors to the Llanrwst Road garden of Lydia Mary Fernandez-Arias who lives near the mountain zoo.
She said: "They go out hunting in the summer and they like the long grass in my garden.
"I’ve not yet seen them this summer although I’ve not been looking for them. Last I heard some snakes had moved into the roof in a chapel in Mochdre.
“It’s sad to think of them getting hit by cars. As far as I’m told the snakes don’t impact the local environment and they once lived here thousands of years ago.”
The snake, which can grow up to over 4ft, is non-venomous and harmless to humans and pets.
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In the past week local man Tom Buckley said he had seen three dead snakes. “All three were on the roads and were possibly hit by cars travelling down from the mountain zoo,” he said. “The more people know of their whereabouts the better.
"From now on I will always be on the lookout for them one in the roads. If I see one I’ll try to move it – or just wait until it moves out the way.”
One of the snakes found in a field last year measured around 4.5ft. Nicknamed Dave, the reptile was tagged so it could be radio tracked by researchers at Bangor University.
Tom Major, who led the project, snakes, said: "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 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.”
Robert Jackson, founder of the Welsh Mountain Zoo, imported the snakes from Italy in the 1960s.
But some of the reptiles escaped into the surrounding countryside, and began breeding.
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