Wales Feed

Rare sand lizards released in north Wales

Martin Aaron — Tue, 10 Sep 2013 15:00:20 +0000

This week conservationists are giving the UK's rarest lizard - the sand lizard, a helping hand as 400 captive bred lizards are released at seven sites across England and Wales.

Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (ARC), Natural Resources Wales and Natural England have joined forced to safeguard the future of these magnificent lizards which are being released at specially prepared nature reserves.

A rare sand lizard being released at Talacre dunes in north Wales

Once commonly found on dunes and heathland, sand lizards became endangered after the gradual destruction of their habitats.

27 lizards, reared at Chester Zoo, will now return to their native habitats in Talacre dunes, north Wales.

The long-term aim of the conservation project is to restore the species to its historic range.

In the UK sand lizards only live on two rare habitats; sand-dune and lowland dry heath.

Due to vast historic losses, and fragmentation of these habitats via development and land use change, the species has been lost from north and west Wales.

The rare lizards were raised in special outdoor enclosures in Chester Zoo

The lizards were bred at Chester Zoo in outdoor enclosures designed to mimic the sand lizard's natural environment.

After being reared by expert keepers for a number of weeks the captive bred juveniles are released in early September to allow them time to get used to their new habitat before hibernation begins in October.

Liz Howe of Natural Resources Wales said: "This new sand lizard release site on the dunes at the end of the River Dee is an example of the high quality habitat we have on the Clwyd coastline, and will complete the re-introduction programme of this previously extinct species."

A snake in the grass

Martin Aaron — Thu, 05 May 2011 08:27:34 +0000

Budding wildlife photographer Pete Struthers from Bridgend has been in touch with this amazing shot of a grass snake he took a few weeks ago in the Montgomery Canal near Welshpool.

Grass snake by Pete Struthers from Bridgend

How far down does the ground freeze?

Derek Brockway — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 13:57:43 +0000

I had a very interesting question from my News Editor yesterday.

She wanted to know how far down the ground freezes?

I didn't ask why she wanted to know, but thought I'd better find out and do some research to keep my boss happy!

Basically, it depends on a few things:

How cold the air temperature gets
How long the air temperature stays below freezing
Whether there is snow cover (and how deep it is)

Long cold spells with no snow cover can cause the ground to freeze to a few feet whereas if there's persistent snow cover, the ground may only freeze to a few inches deep.

In the Arctic the ground may be permanently frozen for thousands of feet!

I later discovered that the reason my editor wanted to know was because she was concerned about her tortoises who are currently hibernating three feet under the ground in the garden.

I reassured here that, although it's been very cold and frosty recently (with some low night-time temperatures), the ground is probably not frozen more than an inch or so deep (if at all), because temperatures during the day have risen above freezing thanks to some sunshine.

So hopefully her tortoises, who slept through the coldest December for at least 100 years, will emerge from their sleep, healthy and happy in the spring.

Derek

Rhys to the Rescue

Martin Aaron — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 08:00:22 +0000

Wednesday, September 29 at 7.30pm on BBC One Wales.

Yes, Dr Jones is back - it's a series, so he'll keep coming back for a few weeks yet! ;)

I hope you saw the first episode last week - I did and thoroughly enjoyed it - not at all what I was expecting.

I had no idea for instance that baby adders pack as much venom in their bite as the adult snakes which is very handy to know.

I saw a baby adder in the summer - slithering across a busy beach car park and almost picked it up to carry it to safety. Luckily I just watched it instead and allowed it to find its own way across.

Anyway, onto this week's episode:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles may have been all the rage in the 1990s but they sparked a craze for the real thing - leading to hundreds of terrapins being bought and subsequently dumped when their owners grew tired of them.

Rhys and PC Mark Goulding with a boa constrictor:

Rhys demonstrates just how much of a problem they are at Roath Park Lake in Cardiff, where discarded terrapins are causing havoc amongst the local wildlife, but he quickly discovers how hard they are to catch!

Terrapins are not the only animals that irresponsible owners are taking on; only to dump or release into the wild when they grow too large or unmanageable.

Rhys also has his hands full with a terrified bosc monitor lizard suspected of being bullied by a larger beast, who has even ripped off some of its digits, making it difficult for the poor lizard to climb and dig.

Rhys, who hails from Cardiff, reckons zoos and wildlife parks are full to the brim with former escapees and he's already taken home several specimens who would otherwise have been put down.

If you miss an episode you can always watch again on the BBCi-Player.

Gull

Rhys to the rescue

Martin Aaron — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 09:15:36 +0000

Wednesday, 22 September at 7.30pm on BBC One Wales

Rhys Jones isn't your average chap. His normal day consists of dealing with schoolboys bringing home pet tarantulas and boa constrictors escaping from bedrooms.

Rhys is a wildlife expert and one of a handful of people in the UK, qualified to deal with endangered species and reptiles.

As a result he's often called upon to help out the police or Countryside Council for Wales when specialist skills are required.

Rhys to the Rescue is a fascinating insight into Rhys' weird world, as he tackles the kinds of critters most of us would be too scared to handle.

Herpetologist, Dr Rhys Jones:

In episode one, Welsh troops (about to undertake a tour of duty) learn how to tackle snake and scorpion bites & stings - which affect around 600 military personnel in Afghanistan and Iraq every year.

They may be battle-hardened veterans, but these soldiers would rather face the enemy than get up close and personal with Rhys' snakes!

In another call out - Rhys is asked to track down and remove a colony of adders in need of rehousing after a new housing development is put on hold.

Rhys and leading reptile vet - Mark Evans microchip them in a unique experiment to see what happens when snakes are relocated.

You can watch the first episode on Wednesday, 22 September on BBC One Wales.

Gull

A snake in the grass

Martin Aaron — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 15:02:50 +0000

Walkers on Gower are being warned to watch their step after a man was bitten on the ankle by an adder at a caravan park in Port Eynon recently.

Adders (Vipera berus) are the UK's only venomous snake and common through the UK. Like most snakes they are shy creatures which will do their best to avoid contact with humans.

They will only bite as a last resort or if you accidentally step on one, so it's worth wearing walking boots and thick socks when walking in overgrown areas.

Adders basking in the sun at Parc Slip. Image by 'Former ex-tog'

Their venom is fairly strong but we're not talking taipan or king brown here (no-one has died from an adder bite since the 1970s) but if bitten, you will require hospital treatment in the form of antivenom.

Their venom is designed to stun small prey such as lizards, small mammals and amphibians.

Bites will initially cause a sharp pain followed by drowsiness, nausea, tenderness, swelling of joints and bruising around the affected area although symptoms can be more severe in certain cases.

If bitten, remain calm and don't move around. Take a paracetamol to relieve the pain and get to hospital as soon as possible.

Adders will also bite cats and dogs so always keep your dog on a lead when walking in potential adder hot spots.

Unfortunately, adders like us, tend to be more active on warm, sunny days when we all decide to go walking.

They can often be found basking in the open around the edges of woodland, coastal footpaths and at the back of beaches and dunes.

Adders are a protected species and should be treated with respect. Do not handle or disturb them and they'll do you no harm.

Watch what happened when Iolo Williams went looking for adders.

Find out more about these snakes on the BBC Wildlife Finder.

Gull