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Deadly desert snake spotted in parking lot

Residents of newly developed residential communities on the outskirts of Dubai have urged authorities to take stronger pest control measures after deadly reptiles are reported to be appearing at their doorsteps.

In a recent incident, residents of a newly developed residential community, located behind Dubai Motor City, saw a deadly desert snake in the parking lot during the daytime.

In July, a pet Chihuahua was killed after being bitten by a poisonous snake in another residential area next to a proposed wildlife conservation park in Dubai. Despite the death of the pet dog and amidst fear of threat to life of residents, authorities have taken no action to control the deadly pests, said residents.

“We have just moved into this new area and it is one the most scary places,” said S.B, a resident while speaking to Khaleej Times on Sunday. “It is completely isolated.”

“A security guard spotted the brown-coloured, medium-length snake in the parking area and threw it away with the help of a stick,” explained S.B. “We are afraid there might a snake colony nearby since the area has been unoccupied for a long time,” he added. The area is still under development hence a large part of the open desert is linked to the residential buildings.

According to S.B, at least 14 families were now residing in the group of buildings. “I have a small child and we are very scared,” he added.

The resident also said that this was the second such incident in a short time. “The first snake of a similar kind had managed to crawl upto the elevators before it was killed.” Though the residents have notified the property group management and the maintenance company, no action has been taken so far.

“These are serious incidents and we request concerned authorities to strengthen their pest control measures so that we can live in peace,” he added.

Dr Reza Khan, Wildlife and Zoo Specialist and former Director of Dubai Zoo, commenting on the picture of the snake, sent by the resident, said that the snake appeared to be a Saw-Scaled Viper, which is a venomous snake. It is known for its venom so strong that it causes systematic symptoms including hemorrhage, acute renal failure and disseminated intravascular coagulation.

The community members have, as a warning, put out details of the snake on their Facebook page asking residents to be careful.

asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com