One of Malta’s rarest native snakes ended up in an especially unlikely place: the bottom of a well.
The unusual rescue concluded safely when volunteers pulled the reptile out, underscoring both the vulnerability of wildlife and the dangers animals can face in human-built spaces.
Here’s what to know
After an Algerian whip snake was spotted inside a Pietà well, Nature Trust Malta’s Wildlife Rescue Team was contacted, Lovin Malta reported. The responders recovered the snake without harming it.
Of Malta’s four native snake species, the nonvenomous Algerian whip snake is the one people encounter least often. Sightings are much rarer than sightings of the islands’ other native reptiles.
After the rescue, Nature Trust Malta said that snakes are an important part of Malta’s biodiversity and help keep local ecosystems in balance despite the fear they often inspire. Because Malta’s native snakes are legally protected, people are not allowed to harm them, capture them, or keep them as pets, per Lovin Malta.
More background
In this case, the danger came from a human-made structure. A well can become a trap for wildlife moving through an area.
The spaces humans build and occupy often shape unusual encounters between people and wild animals. Species of all types may have to navigate landscapes influenced by people. Even when no harm is intended, infrastructure can create risks for animals that are already seldom seen.
What’s being done?
Trained members of Nature Trust Malta’s Wildlife Rescue Team handled the retrieval from the well so the snake could be removed without injury. Leaving a response to specialists lowers the chances that an animal or a resident will get hurt.
Nature Trust Malta told the public not to intervene when it comes to injured, trapped, or endangered wildlife, according to Lovin Malta. Instead, people were asked to seek professional help.
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