Workers at the Costa Sur industrial estate, in Tenerife, found a snake hidden in the warehouse in which they were located after midnight on Wednesday, September 13. The surprising discovery was reported by these workers to CECOES 1-1-2 (Emergency Coordination Center of the Government of the Canary Islands), which, following the usual protocol for these cases, notified the Neotropic Foundation.
This organization has reported that the reptile had been captured by the staff of the logistics company where it was found and that, at 01:02 a.m., the animal was already in the custody of Foundation staff.
It was a bastard snake (Malpolon monspessulanus), a species native to the Iberian Peninsula and North Africa that, on this occasion, arrived accidentally transported with merchandise from the continent, according to Neotropica. It is a species classified as invasive exotic for the Canary Islands, according to Royal Decrees 630/2013 and 216/2019.
The Foundation reminds that if you find a snake, it is recommended to immediately notify 1-1-2 and keep an eye on it, but not interact with it until it is identified due to the risk that it is a species with venom considered of moderate importance.
