Snakes are on the increase at Brit holiday hotspot islands sparking panic ahead of the summer.
The authorities have launched a war on the serpents after Oxford boffins snapped one on camera.
Officials on the Balearic Islands will set traps to catch the invasive reptiles, which threaten the local biodiversity.
The main isles – Majorca, Menorca and Ibiza – are visited by millions of holidaymakers from the UK every summer.
The plan comes after a horseshoe whip snake was unexpectedly seen on an islet popular with day-trippers from Majorca.
In late April, a camera trap placed by Oxford Uni researchers to monitor Balearic shearwater nests filmed a specimen.
Spooked officials scrambled to design a plan to rid the islet of the non-native snakes, which can reach five feet in length.
Eighty-five traps will be laid across Sa Dragonera, which is uninhabited and lies to the west of Mallorca.
Ten more will be placed between next-door Es Pantaleu and the stretch of Mallorca’s coast that lies closest to the islet pair.
The authorities say the traps will be located away from well-trodden paths, as reported by Need To Know.
Natural Environment and Forestry chief, Anna Torres, said: “From the moment the horseshoe whip snake was spotted on Sa Dragonera, we treated the situation as a top priority and began working on a trap-laying and monitoring campaign, which will be intensive in both resources and staff.
“Our goal is to protect one of the Balearic archipelago’s most valuable natural areas.
“Invasive reptiles like snakes can pose a serious threat to fragile island ecosystems.”
Species on Sa Dragonera potentially threatened by the snakes include the Lilford’s wall lizard and the European storm petrel.
The previously mentioned Balearic shearwater, which is considered critically endangered, is also at risk.
The horseshoe whip snake (Hemorrhois hippocrepis) is native to southwestern Europe and northern Africa.
It is a skilled climber and can be aggressive when handled.
Its bite can be strong. However, it is non-venomous.
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