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ISSUE NO. 1655
23 - 29 March 2017
A XARQUÍA - C OSTA T ROPICAL
YOUR PAPER, YOUR VOICE, YOUR OPINION
Snakes alive
Live cats and dogs offered to pet python By Jay Emeny and Matt Ford A young woman from Loja, Granada, has been arrested by the Guardia Civil for feeding live puppies and kittens to her pet snake. She has allegedly been offering her 1.5 metre long, five-year-old ball python (Python regius), also known as the royal python, the bizarre diet for a considerable period of time.
The shocking facts came to light when she placed the serpent for sale on an internet portal, with the text accompanied by a photograph which depicts the reptile wrapped around what appears to be a young puppy. Pythons are non-venomous and kill by constriction, whereby prey is pulled into the animal’s coils, shutting off blood flow to vital organs such as the heart and brain. Having spotted the ad listing, a con-
cerned member of an animal protection association contacted the woman to express her interest in the snake. As they chatted by WhatsApp, the owner began to boast how she would feed the python young dogs and cats, plus the occasional bird, according to a statement from Seprona, the Guardia Civil’s nature protection arm. The latter was contacted by the angry animal lover following her conversation with the accused. Having been detained, the woman admitted during questioning that what she had
told the fake buyer was true, and that she had indeed been giving her pet live cats and dogs to eat. The snake owner, who remains unnamed, now faces a judicial hearing which will dictate whether she will be charged with animal abuse and cruelty. The ball python is the smallest of the African pythons and popular in the pet trade since it does not grow as large as related species and typically has a docile t e m perament, with a life expectancy of over 40 years. PET FOOD: For the ball python.
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Pickled pilot A 44-YEAR-OLD woman collided with bollards and parked cars after drunkenly driving 200 metres down a pedestrianised area of Torre del Mar. The car eventually came to a halt after hitting the front of a house. The driver, who was breathalysed, apparently told officers she did not know how to drive the car. See page 3
About turn THE town of Motril has been under siege since the Spanish Army, supported by Air Force and Navy battalions, has spent a number of days training in the area with a
battery of surface to air missiles (SAM) and regiments from Cartagena, Madrid and Sevilla taking part. See page 5
Trash talking NERJA’S Department of Commerce has reminded owners of bars, cafes and public terraces to keep the areas in front of their business clean. The town’s councillor for Trade, Carmen Gonzalez, said “we are approaching Easter and we’ve had numerous complaints from passers-by who find garbage in the streets.” See page 12
Jam-packed class IRATE pupils and parents have protested about overcrowded classrooms outside the gates of Rincon de la Victoria’s Colegio Josefina Aldecoa. Around 70 students and their parents have
voiced their concerns over the lack of classroom space for sixth grade pupils, with many now taught in temporary, prefabricated classrooms. See page 13