Environment officers in Fujairah have been called into action 48 times this year to remove venomous snakes from gardens and vehicles in the emirate.
Authorities say the figures represent a rise in close encounters with the reptile over previous years.
A possible reason behind this, officials say, is the popularity of camping, because food left behind could be changing feeding patterns and leading to larger snake populations.
But climate change could also be influencing snake behaviour in the UAE, potentially causing them to be active at times of the year when they were previously dormant.
The UAE is home to 13 species of snake, four of which are venomous, and the reptiles are sometimes found in gardens or homes – particularly in newly built settlements and more remote areas.
Prof Salvador Carranza, of the Institute of Evolutionary Biology in Barcelona, said that such a pattern had been observed in Spain, and was likely to be seen elsewhere.
“If temperatures remain high during the winter months, in Spain and everywhere, reptiles remain active,” he said.
“If temperatures drop, reptiles retreat and hibernate. It is not necessary to do a study; it is something that is well-known and has been observed.
“The same reptile species can be active in one geographical area, and at the same time of the year inactive (hibernating) in another part of its distribution range. It just depends on the temperature, the weather.”
According to data published by the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, temperatures in the UAE are now around 1.8°C higher than they were in pre-industrial times, which may have affected the behaviour of reptiles, including snakes.
But Andrew Gardner, associate director for biodiversity conservation at Emirates Nature-WWF, does not think this is having a major impact on snake behaviour – at least for now.
“I would expect that warming climate will mean that snakes will become more active earlier in spring, but this is unlikely to be a major effect (yet),” said Dr Gardner.
Where are the snakes?
While it is possible that snakes in the Emirates may now be more active during cooler parts of the year, scientists say that there is no evidence that their overall distribution in the country has been affected by climate change.
Some mountain-dwelling species may have experienced changes, though.
“Climate change might have an important effect for animals that live high up in the mountains, with small distribution ranges,” said Prof Carranza.
Such species, he said, may be unable to move high enough to escape from the warmer temperatures caused by climate change.
Climate change could, in future, affect the reptiles’ distribution if it resulted in altered patterns of rainfall – including more rain in some areas, said Johannes Els of the Sharjah Environment and Protected Areas Authority.
“An increase in rainfall will have an impact on the long-term distribution range of species like the sand viper,” he said.
“That could reduce their distribution. They could move away from where there’s an increase in humidity or rainfall to areas where it’s drier.”
How dangerous are UAE snakes?
A major concern is the risk of being bitten, despite there being no reported snake bite deaths in the UAE for well over a decade.
Despite the low danger, medical attention should always be sought in the event of a bite.
Experts also say that anyone who encounters a snake should never attempt to attack or kill the reptile.
“Snakes in the UAE are not aggressive and do not attack and bite unless provoked,” said Dr Gardner.
“Generally, snake bites result from accidental walking on or close to a snake or from people trying to pick them up or kill them.
“Leave them alone and they will move away.”
Encounters tend to peak in April, May, September and October – when the weather is hot enough for snakes to be active, but also cool enough for residents to venture outside.
Globally, about 5.4 million people are bitten by snakes each year and the number of deaths is between about 81,000 and 138,000, World Health Organisation figures indicate.
Three times as many people suffer permanent disability or have to have an amputation, the WHO said.
Vipers are characterised by having a thick body and a triangular head that is distinct from the neck.
Dr Gardner said that in the mountains in Oman, the frequency of snake bites goes up in the warmer months, as vipers are more active on warm nights in farms and wadis.
How does human activity impact snakes?
While snakes may in some circumstances pose a risk to people in the UAE, human activity is undoubtedly having a negative impact on the reptiles.
“Habitat loss and disturbance are much stronger drivers of changes in snake distributions,” said Dr Gardner.
The pattern is that as development increases, snake numbers tend to go down, said Prof Carranza.
“They kill snakes during development,” he said.
“If you tarmac a road, if you make roads, you make houses, you kill snakes.
“You move their sand, you move rubble, in the end you affect snake populations, up to the point they disappear completely.”
However, he said that during development, there would often be areas that were left undisturbed where snakes could remain.
“That’s why sometimes people keep encountering them in urban areas. People go for a walk in those patches,” said Prof Carranza.
Indeed, in areas surrounding the likes of new housing or industrial estates, snakes may appear more common because they have been pushed out of their habitat.
“This is temporary until the populations stabilise again,” said Dr Gardner said.
Mr Els said that the authorities in Sharjah received more call-outs about snakes from people living in new residential areas that “border natural landscapes”.
“There’s more frequent encounters than with people who live in old town areas,” he said.
While development tends to be harmful to snakes, there are some aspects of urbanisation, such as the year-round availability of water in pools or gardens, that may prove beneficial to “generalist” snake species that can live around people.
Company info
Company name: Entrupy
Co-founders: Vidyuth Srinivasan, co-founder/chief executive, Ashlesh Sharma, co-founder/chief technology officer, Lakshmi Subramanian, co-founder/chief scientist
Based: New York, New York
Sector/About: Entrupy is a hardware-enabled SaaS company whose mission is to protect businesses, borders and consumers from transactions involving counterfeit goods.
Initial investment/Investors: Entrupy secured a $2.6m Series A funding round in 2017. The round was led by Tokyo-based Digital Garage and Daiwa Securities Group's jointly established venture arm, DG Lab Fund I Investment Limited Partnership, along with Zach Coelius.
Total customers: Entrupy’s customers include hundreds of secondary resellers, marketplaces and other retail organisations around the world. They are also testing with shipping companies as well as customs agencies to stop fake items from reaching the market in the first place.
The biog
DOB: March 13, 1987
Place of birth: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia but lived in Virginia in the US and raised in Lebanon
School: ACS in Lebanon
University: BSA in Graphic Design at the American University of Beirut
MSA in Design Entrepreneurship at the School of Visual Arts in New York City
Nationality: Lebanese
Status: Single
Favourite thing to do: I really enjoy cycling, I was a participant in Cycling for Gaza for the second time this year
SNAPSHOT
While Huawei did launch the first smartphone with a 50MP image sensor in its P40 series in 2020, Oppo in 2014 introduced the Find 7, which was capable of taking 50MP images: this was done using a combination of a 13MP sensor and software that resulted in shots seemingly taken from a 50MP camera.
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
The Beach Bum
Director: Harmony Korine
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Isla Fisher, Snoop Dogg
Two stars
States of Passion by Nihad Sirees,
Pushkin Press
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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
'Project Power'
Stars: Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Dominique Fishback
Director: Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman
Rating: 3.5/5
SHOW COURTS ORDER OF PLAY
Centre Court (4pm UAE/12pm GMT)
Victoria Azarenka (BLR) v Heather Watson (GBR)
Rafael Nadal (ESP x4) v Karen Khachanov (RUS x30)
Andy Murray (GBR x1) v Fabio Fognini (ITA x28)
Court 1 (4pm UAE)
Steve Johnson (USA x26) v Marin Cilic (CRO x7)
Johanna Konta (GBR x6) v Maria Sakkari (GRE)
Naomi Osaka (JPN) v Venus Williams (USA x10)
Court 2 (2.30pm UAE)
Aljaz Bedene (GBR) v Gilles Muller (LUX x16)
Peng Shuai (CHN) v Simona Halep (ROM x2)
Jelena Ostapenko (LAT x13) v Camila Giorgi (ITA)
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA x12) v Sam Querrey (USA x24)
Court 3 (2.30pm UAE)
Kei Nishikori (JPN x9) v Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP x18)
Carina Witthoeft (GER) v Elina Svitolina (UKR x4)
Court 12 (2.30pm UAE)
Dominika Cibulkova (SVK x8) v Ana Konjuh (CRO x27)
Kevin Anderson (RSA) v Ruben Bemelmans (BEL)
Court 18 (2.30pm UAE)
Caroline Garcia (FRA x21) v Madison Brengle (USA)
Benoit Paire (FRA) v Jerzy Janowicz (POL)
MATCH INFO
Newcastle United 2 (Willems 25', Shelvey 88')
Manchester City 2 (Sterling 22', De Bruyne 82')
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
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Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
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More on Palestine-Israeli relations
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Our legal consultant
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Info
What: 11th edition of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship
When: December 27-29, 2018
Confirmed: men: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Kevin Anderson, Dominic Thiem, Hyeon Chung, Karen Khachanov; women: Venus Williams
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ae, Virgin megastores or call 800 86 823
Gender equality in the workplace still 200 years away
It will take centuries to achieve gender parity in workplaces around the globe, according to a December report from the World Economic Forum.
The WEF study said there had been some improvements in wage equality in 2018 compared to 2017, when the global gender gap widened for the first time in a decade.
But it warned that these were offset by declining representation of women in politics, coupled with greater inequality in their access to health and education.
At current rates, the global gender gap across a range of areas will not close for another 108 years, while it is expected to take 202 years to close the workplace gap, WEF found.
The Geneva-based organisation's annual report tracked disparities between the sexes in 149 countries across four areas: education, health, economic opportunity and political empowerment.
After years of advances in education, health and political representation, women registered setbacks in all three areas this year, WEF said.
Only in the area of economic opportunity did the gender gap narrow somewhat, although there is not much to celebrate, with the global wage gap narrowing to nearly 51 per cent.
And the number of women in leadership roles has risen to 34 per cent globally, WEF said.
At the same time, the report showed there are now proportionately fewer women than men participating in the workforce, suggesting that automation is having a disproportionate impact on jobs traditionally performed by women.
And women are significantly under-represented in growing areas of employment that require science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills, WEF said.
* Agence France Presse
Off-roading in the UAE: How to checklist
