One-metre snake captured under a sofa in a house in Ibiza

Another scare involving a snake in a house in Ibiza, although this time it ended as a good anecdote and without any major consequences. Dean Gallagher, the island’s snake catcher, was recently called to a house in the countryside, near Sant Agnès, after a family raised the alarm when they got quite a fright on discovering a snake inside their home.

According to Gallagher, the alert came through another person also involved in monitoring this problem on the island. The family, understandably, were very worried: the baby was in its cot in the living room, and the snake appeared under the sofa.

“The mother immediately picked up the baby and everyone stayed outside”, said the expert, who went to the house as quickly as possible. The property is in a rural area where the presence of snakes is not exactly unusual.

In fact, Gallagher points out that the area around Sant Agnès is known for this type of sighting: “There are lots of snakes in this area”. So many, in fact, that some people who have traps installed end up removing snakes almost every day.

The importance of having snake traps

In this case, the house already had three traps, but the snake still managed to get inside. According to the house cleaner, it was not the first time something similar had happened. On another occasion, another snake had already tried to enter through the front door, next to the garden.

After capturing it, Gallagher reassured the family and explained that it was not a venomous snake. “The species of snake found in Ibiza do not pose a risk to humans”, he says.

He also asked them to report any future sightings in the area, or any snakes found in traps, to Cofib through the Línea Verde app. “If someone does not feel able to catch it, the best thing is to leave it alone so that it can get out of the house by itself”, he says.

The expert also took the opportunity to repeat an important recommendation: do not attack or corner these animals. If a snake feels trapped, it may react defensively. Even so, Gallagher insists that the risk to people is low and that, in the worst case, “there could be a scratch”. Gallagher says another good technique he sometimes uses is to “dance flamenco” so that the vibrations in the floor frighten the animal and encourage it to leave by itself as soon as possible.

For that reason, he always advises that anyone who comes across one of these snakes should not try to handle the animal and should call those who know how to act. In addition, every report helps Cofib identify the areas with the greatest presence of snakes and allocate resources more effectively.