German resident Timotheus ‘Tim’ Freytag has been one of the most active voices in the fight against the spread of snakes in Ibiza for almost two decades. Having been based on the island since 1985, he has spent 18 years studying the phenomenon, organising awareness campaigns, and sharing information under the slogan ‘Snakes on Ibiza? No thank you!’. «I’ve been working on this issue for 18 years, researching and sharing information on social media,» he explains. «As a volunteer and a citizen, I try to educate people as best I can. I’m passionate about the logistics. It’s complicated, but if we want to, we can take action.»
He points out that a large proportion of his audience are foreigners living on the island, whom he considers to be key to winning this battle: ‘My main audience is foreigners who have already bought half the island. In my opinion, they can contribute much more to Ibiza’s well-being.’
The problem
The proliferation of snakes is directly linked to the introduction of centuries-old olive trees, which were imported alongside eggs and specimens in their roots. Lizards have been evolving here for three million years. We must take appropriate action to protect them. It was a big mistake to bring in these trees with snakes and eggs inside,« he says, recalling warnings from naturalists such as David Attenborough about the fragility of island ecosystems.
The impact of these invasive species on local wildlife is devastating. «In nine years of its 25-year lifespan, a snake can eat around 500 lizards. Once they reach 1.5 metres in size, they start hunting rats, rabbits, and birds, as well as their eggs. Males can reach 1.8 metres and females up to 2.5 metres,» he explains.
Furthermore, they are more elusive than they seem: «The three species of snake we have hide completely from humans. Some people may have 30 to 100 around their homes, but they only see three to 10.»
According to Freytag’s calculations, the scale of the problem requires a much more forceful response. «We need to eliminate 100,000 snakes a year, not just thousands, because there are hundreds of thousands of them on the island. We need a robust strategy involving numbers, statistics and logistics.’ In his opinion, the government should get more involved. ‘The government could distribute 30,000–40,000 traps to citizens. Alternatively, the island’s residents could finance the traps privately. But currently, there are only 5,000–7,000 traps across Ibiza, which is not enough. With those, we only catch a few thousand, but we need to catch hundreds of thousands.’
Experience from volunteer groups shows that residential areas are particularly effective for catching snakes. «Our homes have become almost a preferred ecosystem for them. More snakes are caught in inhabited areas than in the wild. That’s why we can eliminate more specimens around homes,» he explains.
He cites numerous examples: ‘This year, our group has a house with 45 snakes captured near the Benirrás junction. And Gold Services, as a pest control company, is doing a great job: in a house in Sacaroca, in Sant Jordi, with only four traps, they have also captured 45 snakes this season.’
In Portinatx, he says, ‘a house with 10 traps last year eliminated 100 snakes in a single season.’ And in Sant Mateu, ‘three years ago, a single trap in a house caught 45 snakes in one season.’ In Santa Agnès, he adds, ‘this year, four houses have already caught around 20 snakes each, thanks to their traps.’
Collective solution
Freytag’s proposal involves coordinated action across the whole island. The season starts at the end of March or April and lasts until the end of October. In August, when it is very hot, activity slows down. If we can ensure that every house has traps, we can significantly reduce the number of snakes. Each house needs four to eight traps.»
For him, this is not a competition or an ideological confrontation, but a matter of practical organisation: ‘For me, it’s not a competition. It’s simply logistics: correcting a big mistake that humans made on the island. If we caused it, we can also find the solution.»
He concludes with a call for collective action: ‘I want to see the whole island involved in eliminating the snakes, not just a few.’