London divided over giant 'invasive' snakes

A colony of 30 Aesculapian snakes has been living by Regent's Canal in London, according to reports.

The Daily Mail reports that the snakes have been judged to be an 'invasive species' despite possibly having lived in the city peacefully for decades.

Aesculapians aren't venomous, they are constrictors. They hatch at one foot, and then can grow as large at eight feet long.

According to the report, the London Invasive Species Initiative, marked them as a 'non-native species of high concern'.

Which means the city considers them in need of 'control, management, eradication etc.'

AOL UK claims that the snakes could squeeze a small child to death.

However it also notes that a small colony has been living quite peacefully in Wales after escaping a local zoo.

The possibility of culling the snakes has resulted in some pushback.

According to the International Business Times, Dr Wolfgang Wuster, a snake venom expert and senior lecturer of the School of Biological Science in Bangor University maintained the issue wasn't that serious.

"Given the near certainty of massive global climate change over the next century, the idea that we can treat the UK fauna and flora like some kind of pre-industrial vicarage garden and preserve it forever without any changes is simply farcical," Wuster said.