Dean Gallagher came across an unusual scene around two weeks ago while checking one of the snake traps installed on a rural property in the Santa Agnès area of Ibiza. What initially appeared to be two or three snakes turned out to be a group of six horseshoe snakes, which began emerging from the trap almost simultaneously.
“I had to grab them very quickly because they were all trying to escape,” Gallagher explains, jokingly describing the situation as “a box of surprises.”
The photograph shows Gallagher holding several of the captured snakes of different sizes, including specimens measuring approximately 172, 80 and 90 centimetres, along with several smaller ones. During the operation, he was bitten several times on the arm and hand, although he points out that horseshoe snakes are non-venomous.
Captured snakes cannot simply be released elsewhere on the island
The snakes caught in the traps cannot be released in another part of Ibiza. According to Gallagher, the animals must be dealt with in accordance with the established procedures for invasive species control. Their capture is subsequently reported to Línea Verde, together with photographs and information documenting the presence of snakes in different parts of the island.
Gallagher, who has British and Australian roots, has lived in Ibiza for more than 20 years. He became increasingly involved in the issue after noticing that Pitiusan wall lizards, known locally as sargantanas, were disappearing from some of the properties where he works in maintenance and management.
Since then, he has worked alongside property owners, volunteers and local associations to remove snakes, particularly when large numbers are found in the same trap or when snakes enter homes.
Concern over Ibiza’s native wall lizard
Gallagher’s main concern now is the situation facing the Pitiusan wall lizard, an endemic species found across the Balearic Islands. He says he has witnessed a dramatic decline in lizard numbers in some of the areas where he works and believes that pressure from invasive snakes is adding to other threats, including abandoned waste in natural areas and feral cat colonies.
He is therefore calling on environmental authorities in Ibiza to take urgent action to protect the remaining lizard populations.
In Gallagher’s view, snake traps are necessary but not enough to guarantee the conservation of the native species. He has even suggested moving some of the surviving lizards to safer areas.
“I recommend that the sargantanas be evacuated and moved to safe refuges. Otherwise, they are all going to die,” he warns.
Gallagher urges against alarm over snakes in Ibiza
At the same time, Gallagher stresses the importance of avoiding alarmist messages about snakes in Ibiza. He says that throughout the summer he has received very few reports of snakes being spotted close to the island’s beaches.
He also points out that these snakes do not pose the level of danger that a striking image might suggest, such as a snake swimming near the coast.
The growing presence of invasive snake species remains a concern for Ibiza’s native wildlife, particularly for the island’s sargantanas, but Gallagher’s message is also one of perspective: the snakes may be an important ecological threat, yet they are not venomous and should not be a source of unnecessary panic for residents or visitors.