Canaragua is committed to the preservation of endemic species of the island

 

Canaragua, as a participant in RedEXOS (Network for Detection and Intervention of Invasive Exotic Species in the Canary Islands) has collaborated in the dissemination of the #StopCulebraReal project, through which it aims to stop the expansion of this snake that threatens endemic species of the island such as the lizard. canary or the mullet. The king snake is native to California and, although it is not poisonous and does not pose a danger to human life, it can have devastating effects on the endemic fauna of the island of Gran Canaria.

 

 

Canaragua's collaboration with this project has included training for its workers in which it has been explained how to proceed if one of these snakes is seen. The class was taught by the biologist from Gesplan (Territorial and Environmental Management and Planning, SA) and person in charge of the project, Ramón Gallo Barneto, who explained in detail the appearance of the different king snakes found on the island and some of their characteristics, such as that they usually live underground.

 

Apart from the appearance, the training also talked about the sightings of this species in Gran Canaria, which date back to 1998, when a first nucleus was sighted in the areas of Telde and Valsequillo; Later, in 2010, a second nucleus was sighted in Gáldar. In 2015, a nucleus appeared for the first time in the south of the island, specifically in Montaña la Data, San Bartolomé de Tirajana. The last known core was sighted in 2018 in the Guiniguada ravine.

 

 

Biologist Ramón Gallo informed those attending the training of the different alert methods that can be used when sighting a snake: 112, notifying the Local Police or the Civil Guard, notifying CECOPIN (Insular Operational Coordination Center) or through the StopCulebraReal app, which allows you to share the location with qualified personnel who will approach the area to capture the animal.

 

The members of the project look to the future and prepare their tools for it; As reported by Ramón Gallo, they are already working with the Las Palmas Technological Institute in the development of selective traps, which allow only the king snake to be captured and not species such as the Canary Island lizard. In addition, work is also being done on the training of canine units to support the search for snakes.

 

At the end of the training, the Canaragua workers were able to see three of these snakes on people and the traps that are used to capture them in various areas of the island.