"Hampshire"

Page last revised:
24 th July 2004

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DATE: ANIMAL: LOCATION:
22nd April 2004 WEST INDIAN TREE FROG Portsmouth
12th June 2004 CORN SNAKE New Forest

 

New Forest
CORN SNAKE
Corn Snake in Mower.
One of our members had to identify a photo of a snake the other day. A man living on the edge of the New Forest in Hampshire had a surprise when he started his lawnmower and heard a thud. When he checked his mower he found a snake in the blades, rather worse for wear. He took it to the vet, but it was too badly injured to help it. The he contacted the head keeper of the New Forest , who passed on the picture to the member for identification. It was recognised as an adult North American Corn snake. It had large saddles or spots along it's back. Our member has had quite a few Corn snakes, as well as Rat Snakes and a few King snakes taken in by police and the RSPCA when he was working at the Poole Aquariam, that had been found in the wild or strange places. 
12th June 2004
(Source: BEASTWATCH UK      Member)

Written by: Karen Allison
Contributed by: David Bird

File: 2004-178
Ref No: 1300

Portsmouth
WEST INDIAN TREE FROG
A frog so rare that it doesn’t even have a common name has been found in a banana boat at Portsmouth.The tropical tree frog, Latin name Osteopilus fitzinger, survived a four-thousand mile journey from Jamaica in the refrigerated hull of the MV Prince of Tides.

Portsmouth health officer David Jones said: “We handle about 470,000 tonnes of bananas each year and this is the first time anything like this has been found

"Apparently a random pallet was chosen to check the quality of the
consignment and, during the checking process, someone found the
little frog clinging to a hand of bananas."

The one and a half inch frog is being cared for at Portsmouth’s Blue Reef Aquarium, and has been nicknamed ‘Lara’ after Brian Lara, captain of the West Indies cricket team.

Aquarist Mat Clarke said “The hold was kept at a constant temperature of 14 degrees for the entire 11-day voyage, When it arrived it was in a poor condition but it has gradually been improving and is now eating on its own."

22nd April 2004
(Source: BBC News)

Written by: Lisa Willow

Ref No: 1214

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