Finding a snake, tarantula or iguana wandering around a public space in Arona isn’t something most people expect to deal with on a normal day.
The council has a specialist service in place to handle these situations, working with the Neotrópico Foundation to collect and care for exotic animals found in public areas.
The service covers animals that may have escaped or been abandoned, leaving them loose in streets and other public spaces. Depending on the species, these incidents can pose risks to both people and the animals themselves, so proper handling by trained staff is essential.
The team can search for, capture, collect and transport animals to authorised centres, where they receive the necessary care while their future placement is assessed.
The foundation also provides technical advice, helping identify exotic or potentially dangerous species and assess reports from the public.
There’s an educational side to the service as well. Training activities are planned for Local Police officers, Civil Protection personnel and council staff, giving them guidance on recognising these animals and knowing how to respond if one turns up where it shouldn’t.
Schools are also included, with activities for infant and primary pupils covering the risks posed by invasive exotic species, the damage they can cause to local ecosystems and the importance of never abandoning pets.
It’s a useful reminder that an unusual pet can become a much bigger problem if it escapes or is released into the wild. Some exotic animals can survive outside their natural habitat, and the consequences for local wildlife can be serious.