THE WEST BRITON (Cornwall, UK) 09 October 05 Artifical Snakes Scare Walkers In Historic Woods
Snakes seen dangling from the trees in an historic Westcountry estate have been startling unsuspecting walkers. But the serpents are harmless fakes, designed to stop hoarding squirrels from stealing nuts from a forest garden project at Dartington Hall, near Totnes. The decoy snake was chosen as a method of frightening off squirrels because certain species of large snake are natural predators of squirrels.
One of the six inflatable predators frightened Michael Hunt, from Kingskerswell, who was out walking with his girlfriend Ann Sore. They spotted what they thought was a python curled up on a branch, with a lifelike constrictor in a nearby tree. Mr Hunt said: "Somebody could have had a nasty shock. It's crazy having them on a public footpath without any warning." But the Dartington Hall Trust said they had not intended to shock anybody.
Conservation officer Dave Barker admitted he was initially surprised by their realistic appearance. But he said: "You quickly realise they're not real, and they're working perfectly to deter the squirrels over that small area."
Artifical Snakes Scare Walkers In Historic Woods