They were taken during the pandemic to have company Today, however, there are those who no longer want to keep them at home and leave them where they can, even in the yards of their neighbors’ houses. At this moment Rome is infested with snakes exotic And many are, according to animal welfare associations, specimens found in the most unusual places. Dozens of calls are received every day to the Earth association which has experts able to assess their danger and then attend to them. One of the latest cases is in Tuscolano, in one of the condominiums in Via Stilicone. A corn snake has fallen into the garden of a building. An animal that was most likely abandoned by someone who at some point found himself at a crossroads: either to stay home to take care of him or to go on vacation and leave him in a place where he could find some mice to feed on. Valentina Coppola, president of Earth, confirms: “They are either abandoned or out of control due to poor management – she says – there are also many local snakes that are found between the buildings.” The official way to follow, in the event of a find in the city, is to call 112. Once the danger has been ruled out, the police are the ones who go directly to the associations to capture the specimens and take the animals to specialized centers for their recovery.
Andrea Lunerti is an expert zoophile among those who, in recent months, have had their phone ring several times: he is asking for help in the neighborhoods of Rome to try to catch snakes. Not more than a week ago he went to Sant’Oreste to look for a python. “It was about three and a half meters long, it had almost reached a child who was playing,” he says. A few days earlier another intervention, in via della Bufalotta, with some ladies who called him because they couldn’t sleep: they had seen a rat snake in the garage. In this case, no abandonment of exotic animals, but only a specimen that has gone a little beyond its environment and entered even the houses.
SHOPPING
Exotic snakes that become house pets remain enclosed in reptile houses that must always be well lit to allow these specimens to live in conditions similar to those in their natural habitat.
The increase in energy bills is also having an impact (and not a little) on their maintenance in the capital’s flats. “The higher cost of energy is pushing many people to abandon them – Lunerti continues – Terrarium is a trend that comes and goes according to the level of general well-being. Now it has become a cost precisely because of duplicate bills: keeping snakes warm in winter is no longer a joke. But even buying live food has a cost: on average they eat a mouse every five days and a boa reaches a rabbit every five.’ “I break a spear to those who have one for scientific purposes – continues the expert – unfortunately, however, most people approach snakes for exhibitionism: they love to see how they take their prey to eat it”.
SURVIVAL
Not all exotic snakes manage to survive in the urban nature of Rome. There are those who manage to adapt, but also those who are unable to withstand the city’s climate and live to the fullest for a few months, after trying the hidden life. “Specimens of African origin eat mice and lizards, but they die with the first cold – says veterinarian Paolo Selleri, an expert in exotic animals – the corn snake, on the other hand, manages to survive and is not dangerous for humans. It’s a bit like an Italian snake.”
Source : IL Messaggero
