John's Blog

There has been a reptile sanctuary within the parkland for many years, but of late cattle that were in the area brought the fencing down and the refuge area became trampled. We are now working on another area where under the guidance of Nigel Hand we are hoping to encourage the establishment of what is currently a very small Adder population.

Recent research shows that Adder populations in the UK are in decline, which could lead to them being restricted to only a few sites within only a few years and it has been suggested that the Adder could disappear altogether from the UK countryside by 2032. After a day working alongside Nigel I think that his enthusiasm for this much maligned species rubbed off on a few of us.

Our days work was about creating basking sites, ground cover and protection from predators typically Buzzards and Crows. One threat however has been human persecution which we were told by Nigel stretches back to the late 18^th Century; perhaps due to the fact that the Adder is Britain’s only venomous snake. Adder bites are reputedly painful but rarely fatal it seems and usually only occur if the snake is disturbed or deliberately antagonised.

A further threat has been loss of habitat through land development which is why creating a reptile refuge is so important. Whilst our most recent days work was dedicated to the habitat of Adders it will also be a refuge where it is hoped that there will be a safe environment for many of our native reptiles and amphibians.

Nigel is a very well respected herpetologist (someone who studies reptiles and amphibians) with a particular interest in Adders, he has been at the forefront of UK reptile and adder conservation and research for over twenty years.