Feb 11, 2025 01:17 AM
(This post was last modified: Feb 11, 2025 09:12 PM by C C.)
There’s an ‘invasive’ new species of snake living in Britain - but how did it get here?
https://metro.co.uk/2025/02/10/two-metre...-22533317/
INTRO: Invasive snakes breeding in the wild in at least three UK regions crawl up walls and into attics to survive, researchers said. Aesculapian snakes, which can grow to over 7ft long, originally escaped from captivity, but are now surviving on their own using warm corners made by humans.
Researchers tracked 13 males and eight females between 2021 and 2022 to find out how they were surviving in a climate previously thought to be too cold for them. They found out they relied on ‘human habitats’ - such as your house.
Researchers said in their paper: ‘We observed Aesculapian snakes actively seeking and returning to use inhabited buildings and… climbing large structures to access the attics and wall cavities of houses.’
This is ‘unusual behaviour’ compared to native snakes in the UK, the team led by Tom Major said... (MORE - details)
‘Feral pigs’ on the loose in national park after being ‘illegally’ set free
https://metro.co.uk/2025/02/10/feral-pig...-22533236/
INTRO: Rangers are battling to round up a large group of feral pigs thought to have been deliberately released in a national park. Around 20 of the boar have been spotted in woodlands in Cairngorms National Park in Scotland recently.
A local farmers’ group said it was ‘extremely concerned’ the animals ‘could pose a significant disease risk to livestock, wildlife, and even humans’. It warned they could spread diseases such as bovine tuberculosis, foot-and-mouth disease and leptospirosis.
‘Wild boar and feral pigs are not usually aggressive [but] they can be dangerous in certain situations.’
It comes weeks after four lynx were illegally released in the park last month, one of which died not long after they were recaptured... (MORE - details)
https://metro.co.uk/2025/02/10/two-metre...-22533317/
INTRO: Invasive snakes breeding in the wild in at least three UK regions crawl up walls and into attics to survive, researchers said. Aesculapian snakes, which can grow to over 7ft long, originally escaped from captivity, but are now surviving on their own using warm corners made by humans.
Researchers tracked 13 males and eight females between 2021 and 2022 to find out how they were surviving in a climate previously thought to be too cold for them. They found out they relied on ‘human habitats’ - such as your house.
Researchers said in their paper: ‘We observed Aesculapian snakes actively seeking and returning to use inhabited buildings and… climbing large structures to access the attics and wall cavities of houses.’
This is ‘unusual behaviour’ compared to native snakes in the UK, the team led by Tom Major said... (MORE - details)
‘Feral pigs’ on the loose in national park after being ‘illegally’ set free
https://metro.co.uk/2025/02/10/feral-pig...-22533236/
INTRO: Rangers are battling to round up a large group of feral pigs thought to have been deliberately released in a national park. Around 20 of the boar have been spotted in woodlands in Cairngorms National Park in Scotland recently.
A local farmers’ group said it was ‘extremely concerned’ the animals ‘could pose a significant disease risk to livestock, wildlife, and even humans’. It warned they could spread diseases such as bovine tuberculosis, foot-and-mouth disease and leptospirosis.
‘Wild boar and feral pigs are not usually aggressive [but] they can be dangerous in certain situations.’
It comes weeks after four lynx were illegally released in the park last month, one of which died not long after they were recaptured... (MORE - details)