by Mario Schweiger » Sun Nov 29, 2009 8:58 am
Here is an english translation, made with "ImTranslator 3.2", an AddOn for FireFox.
"Another rattlesnake, a rare species with poisonous bite, was captured in recent days in the pine forest of Castelfusano in Ostia, by a patrol of officers of the State Forestry Service in the area. This is the second discovery of Crotalus atrox in a few days at the gates of Rome, a fact attributable to the difficult case on which investigators are now investigating the Forest Service Cites. The reptile was spotted Sunday morning by a couple of young bikers, not far away from the villa of Pliny, the area where was found the first specimen. The subsequent search and arrest are the result of coordination between the personnel of CITES and that of the Command Station Host of the State Forestry Corps. Among the cases currently under review by the Forest Service, which is investigating the mandate of the Public Prosecutor of Rome, there is one that this specimen, like the preceding, may have been unfortunately abandoned by a single entity or, even more alarming situation, the rattlesnake could be part of a brood. The animal, roughly the same size as the previous one, or about 140 centimeters, had recently fed a hunted prey in the pine forest, evidence of its adaptability to the environment in which it was issued. The area of discovery continues to be monitored by Forest for reasons of public safety, given the extreme danger of the species. The bite of the rattlesnake, in fact, can be lethal if nothing is done immediately with the administration of an antivenin serum, but that is hardly available in our country. The Forest Service invites whoever happened to spot examples of this type to call the 1515, the number of environmental problem in the State Forestry Corps. The rattlesnake, which can reach six feet long and 7 cm in pounds, has long teeth of the poison and retractable cable that can sometimes become caught in the body of the victim. The Crotalus atrox, which feeds on rodents and other small mammals like birds, fishes, amphibians and other reptiles, they need to get food every two to three weeks."
In Austria we mostly find released or escaped Pantherophis guttatus (corn snake) or Lampropeltis sp. (king snake).
But, before about 2 years, a 120 cm long Macrovipera lebetina turanica was found in SW Carinthia, in a famous spot for Vipera ammodytes.
Crazy people - they have to be jailed - releasing very dangerous snakes into the wild.
They dont think, what may happen, if someone gets bitten and doesn´t recognize the snake. In hospital they wouldnt know which antivenin to use!!
Mario