Snake in the pool................

mikelapta



Joined: 20/11/2008
Posts: 2186

Message Posted:
10/12/2009 16:23

Just found a small.about 12"snake swimming

in my pool.Caught it in net,took to neighbours,who confirmed

it was poisonous.





Oh cats were kept away!!



Just a warning to you...watch out,there are snakes about

Brinsley


Joined: 04/04/2009
Posts: 6858

Message Posted:
10/12/2009 16:26

Lots of snakes loitering around the law courts in Girne dressed in black gowns!



Richard

AlsancakJack



Joined: 14/08/2008
Posts: 5762

Message Posted:
10/12/2009 16:31

Blimey Richard

I think you are starting to repeat yourself.

Brinsley


Joined: 04/04/2009
Posts: 6858

Message Posted:
10/12/2009 16:50

AJ

Must be alcoholic amnesia! Too much snakebite!



Richard

Mindy



Joined: 27/10/2008
Posts: 1210

Message Posted:
10/12/2009 16:58

What did you do with the snake ?

adagirl


Joined: 01/06/2009
Posts: 371

Message Posted:
10/12/2009 17:32

Careful Mindy, you will get the thread closed now, Mikes posts are read only at the moment!!!

snakes



Joined: 28/10/2008
Posts: 1512

Message Posted:
10/12/2009 17:32

hello hello !!!!!! bit chilly in pool at mo everything shrivels ! ouch ! (even more than normal)

henrik



Joined: 01/10/2009
Posts: 314

Message Posted:
10/12/2009 22:01

be carefull about the snakes as many are in danger of extiniton and only one kind is serious poisonous. A second one is also poisonous but rather a bit more than a few bee stiches . Asking a local or so is mostly no good idea as most of the TCs think that all snakes are poisonous except the black one. Search online for Cyprus snakes and you will see how harmless they are. There are no records of death issues by snake bite in TRNC, not sure about the south....

regards, henrik

mikelapta



Joined: 20/11/2008
Posts: 2186

Message Posted:
11/12/2009 09:55

The snake looked like the British adder.Light brown with darker diamond shapes.Took it in net to TC neighbour.They put it in a plastic bottle,and treated as if was poisonous.Not sure what happened to it,but think it would be released somewhere.At least they didn't kill it.

My cats weren't interested...I thought they liked to catch snakes

Mike

birdyblaster


Joined: 19/10/2009
Posts: 131

Message Posted:
11/12/2009 09:59

Mindy. what would you like to do with the snake?

adagirl


Joined: 01/06/2009
Posts: 371

Message Posted:
11/12/2009 10:25

There was an article in Cyprus today asking people to telephone if they found a snake so that it would be released unharmed due to their protected status. Dumping it on a neighbour was probably a death sentence for the snake.

negativenick


Joined: 10/11/2008
Posts: 6023

Message Posted:
11/12/2009 10:49

Snake in the pool ??



Reminds me of my all time favourite book....





"Manure in the road" - by G G Dunnit





;0)

mikelapta



Joined: 20/11/2008
Posts: 2186

Message Posted:
11/12/2009 11:07

Thank you Tessa,now if you knew who I phoned I will remember ther next time.

Also don't you think as they put it in a plastic bottle,rather then stamp on it,it has a good chance?

Mike

adagirl


Joined: 01/06/2009
Posts: 371

Message Posted:
11/12/2009 12:19

No I don't. When I came here a few years ago the men that cleared our garden put one in a bottle and they said they leave them there till they are dead beacuse they are so scared of them. (but in your case - I hope it was for easy release). I took the bottle off them and left it opened up the road near the mountain. It was gone the next day.

Mindy



Joined: 27/10/2008
Posts: 1210

Message Posted:
11/12/2009 12:39

Birdyblaster

I would like it to be released somewhere away from homes.

henrik



Joined: 01/10/2009
Posts: 314

Message Posted:
11/12/2009 12:48

a snake in a bottle.. I know a few of these bottles - in the house of friends, the parents keep them.. - they put SAF ISPIRITO (99%Alc) in this bottle and conserve.

The biggest information lack is with Turkish, and greek cypriots, most of them think ALL snakes are poisonous..

One of the first things what my mother did when we moved here in the year 1983, she bought books about the flora / fauna and wildlife of Cyprus. This was long before the age of internet. She wanted to know what she will be expecting here. I loved to read and look at the pictures of animals living in Cyprus.

These informations are nowadays much more easy availlable. Its mostly only one click. You need to know what youll be expect here when you live in TRNC!

There is a fish, living buried in the sand which has much more death records than any snake in TRNC. Did you know?? 1000s in Karpaz Altın Kum..

----> So I realy dont understand why people are so ignorant to the nature they live in???

adagirl


Joined: 01/06/2009
Posts: 371

Message Posted:
11/12/2009 15:24

Well said Hendrick - good post.

mikelapta



Joined: 20/11/2008
Posts: 2186

Message Posted:
11/12/2009 16:51

Thank you.I am learning to live in TRNC.You can only learn by mistakes,will get flora/fauna/animal/snake books when and where I can

Mike

henrik



Joined: 01/10/2009
Posts: 314

Message Posted:
11/12/2009 17:04

everybody talks about the poor dogs and KAR and donations and bla bla... but have no clue (or minor knowledge) which animals are realy endangered and/or dangerous. This makes me think about the "animal lovers" - are they animal lovers or just like to have some sweeeeeeet cats and dogs, and "forget" about the rest (which rest? was there something else??)..

Its sad to see dogs starving, or cats beeing driven over, but, it is the same issue, even worse, when endagered animals are beeing killed just because they are not cute and people not knowing what they are doing... Each snake in TRNC should have more attention than stray dogs or cats. Donation for the saving of wildlife in TRNC, ever thought abou that? The moufflons, the snakes and reptiles (wild land turtles, lizards, geckos), etc etc.. they are the ones which needs immediate protection and care. Not dogs and cats which are a plague (sorry, but its the truth)... Now, the discussion can beginn..

Happy talks..

henrik



Joined: 01/10/2009
Posts: 314

Message Posted:
11/12/2009 17:11

mike, definitely a huge step forward. I hope that others will follow and show the same interest as you.

Did you know that we have an spider living in TRNC, very small, but its bite is deadly in as short as 15min?? Tinny, black spider, living under rocks, but very very rare..

Dont worry about the realy big ones, they look very very ugly but have not more poison than a bee.

There is also a snake, which when scared, beats you with its tail..

boglefan



Joined: 07/06/2009
Posts: 511

Message Posted:
11/12/2009 17:13

On a walk from Lapta coast side up to the village stopped to look at what I think is a Gecko (it was a fair size wih a red frill at its head). It looked dead but did not appear to have been knocked over. I wanted to move it to the side of the road but my big brave other half decided that anything with red markings is a warning so made me leave it where it was. I think it must have been stunned or faking it as when we moved off it started to come back to life. Unfortunately just at the time a truck decided to come up the road. It was the most horrible popping noise as the poor thing was flattened. Next time I will definately move any that I find, and I will read up on some of the reptiles found on Cyprus.

I will need to find out more about the fish, that one sounds very interesting.

Thanks for that Henrik.

henrik



Joined: 01/10/2009
Posts: 314

Message Posted:
11/12/2009 17:48

Reptiles love to heat up on (black) roads. Thats why it seemed to be "dead". sadly many die due to the cars....

The poison Fish: 100000s living around cyprus, I had the delight to get stiched by one of them. But, hey, it was my fault as I interfered in his territory..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trachinidae:

"The pain from weever stings has been described as so severe that sailors stung by the fish would cut off their stung fingers or hands in a desperate attempt to relieve the pain, or even lighting the wound on fire, this is however highly unlikely. Stings are often described as "extremely painful" causing throbbing pain and swelling in the affected area and "much worse than a wasp (or bee) sting" - some victims even find the comparison to wasp or bee stings offensive."

also see:

http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=1364

"Considered as the most dangerous of the European weevers, both for its poison and for its frequent occurrence very near to beaches"

adagirl


Joined: 01/06/2009
Posts: 371

Message Posted:
11/12/2009 18:04

I remember a couple of years ago a "great brit" had a letter printed stating that they had killed a blunt nose viper in their garden. As if they had something to be proud of!! Please look before you leap!! Read up on these species of animals. Please don't use insecticides etc in the garden, they don't just kill the insects they also starve the creatures that live on the insects! I have posted over and over again about keeping the fragile food chain intact, If you really dont want real wildlife then concrete your gardens and use artificial plants. Cats are in the main responsible for the demise of the chameleon, they are so slow they dont stand a chance . I have two in my garden (that I have had the great honour to see) but no cats thank God because of my daft cat hating dog. I would also say that most (not all) mainland Turk gardeners will kill everything they come across. A macho thing maybe?

Vidal


Joined: 14/05/2009
Posts: 867

Message Posted:
11/12/2009 18:26

There was apparently an article in the Times or Telegraph (last ten days or so) regarding the problems there will be when the situation within the buffer zone changes. It has become a nature reserve and there are many creatures big and small here that are no longer found anywhere else on the Island.



Did anyone read it..I have tried to find it on line but no luck.

adagirl


Joined: 01/06/2009
Posts: 371

Message Posted:
11/12/2009 18:34

Here Vidal try this:





http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8107166.stm

Vidal


Joined: 14/05/2009
Posts: 867

Message Posted:
11/12/2009 19:01

That's a great article. Thanks Adagirl!



Every cloud and all that!

come_on_aylin


Joined: 14/06/2008
Posts: 908

Message Posted:
19/12/2009 08:39

Had a conversation with our local petrol station owner who is very distressed by the habit of killing snakes without a thought, particularly the vipers because they kill the rats. No snakes = more rats. Upset the balance of nature at your peril.

smithy


Joined: 17/07/2008
Posts: 5301

Message Posted:
19/12/2009 09:14

dont know which is worse snakes or rate

Tenakoutou



Joined: 27/07/2009
Posts: 4110

Message Posted:
19/12/2009 09:56

mikelapta: 'Your' snake, from what you describe, could be a female 'Eastern Montpellier' - we used to get many in our Paphos village property - they can climb up a stucco/spritzed wall, cos I've seen 'em do it many times. That's often how they get in the house! When cornered, they sit up like a cobra and hiss and make mock strikes at you. I was de-nailing some boxing, one evening, having just laid the concrete floor for our gazebo, and when I got down to the last few planks, a massive (probably 2 metre) Montpellier reared up at me. I backed off smartly, as it was fearless - then I chucked the pinch-bar at it and it scurried off beside the garage, never to be seen again.