0:00:03 > 0:00:06Want to see some of Wales's wildest of animals?
0:00:06 > 0:00:08You've come to the right place.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13My name is Dr Rhys Jones
0:00:13 > 0:00:17and I'm based at Cardiff University's School of Biosciences.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21I'm licensed to handle some of the country's rarest
0:00:21 > 0:00:24and most dangerous animals...
0:00:24 > 0:00:25MEN SHOUTING
0:00:25 > 0:00:28OK, everybody stay still.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31..and if you find a snake in your bathroom
0:00:31 > 0:00:34I'm the man the authorities will call in to help you.
0:00:35 > 0:00:36But it's not just snakes -
0:00:36 > 0:00:41I'm licensed to work with everything from owls to iguanas...
0:00:41 > 0:00:43Oh, my ear!
0:00:43 > 0:00:44..Chimps...
0:00:44 > 0:00:47to seals.
0:00:47 > 0:00:52Because I love the scaly, the furry, the crawly and the unknown.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55- What did you think you've seen? - A black panther.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57- A black panther?- A black leopard.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59THEY LAUGH Oh, my God!
0:00:59 > 0:01:03And I can help you to love them too.
0:01:04 > 0:01:06In this episode of Rhys To The Rescue
0:01:06 > 0:01:08there's a cobra crisis call out...
0:01:08 > 0:01:12'We're looking for a cobra - where's the nearest antivenom?'
0:01:12 > 0:01:13I'll tell you where it is, it's Liverpool!
0:01:13 > 0:01:16..a scary spider from overseas...
0:01:16 > 0:01:20- I've got to see this spider gone, I've got to.- Yeah, that's fine.
0:01:20 > 0:01:22..and some beautiful badgers.
0:01:24 > 0:01:26(Bit lost for words, actually.)
0:01:32 > 0:01:33A stunning summer's day
0:01:33 > 0:01:38and an emergency call out from wildlife crime officer PC Mark Goulding.
0:01:38 > 0:01:40We have an Indian cobra.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43An Indian cobra? In south Wales?!
0:01:43 > 0:01:45Better put the flashing blue lights on!
0:01:45 > 0:01:46SIREN BLARES
0:01:48 > 0:01:51So, Mark, what's the story?
0:01:51 > 0:01:55We had a gardener report to a colleague of mine
0:01:55 > 0:01:59that he had seen a strange looking snake.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03He's gone on the internet, had a look,
0:02:03 > 0:02:10and he's 100% convinced that in the lady's garden is an Indian cobra.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13Mrs Patel, who is the home owner,
0:02:13 > 0:02:17further added that when she touched it with a stick
0:02:17 > 0:02:19the animal's head reared up
0:02:19 > 0:02:23and she indicated that there was some kind of hood.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26I think we need to err on the side of caution,
0:02:26 > 0:02:29if people are saying they've seen an Indian cobra
0:02:29 > 0:02:32I want to treat it like we've also seen an Indian cobra
0:02:32 > 0:02:34until I see otherwise.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37That's a highly venomous snake.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40We are going to have to be very, very careful indeed.
0:02:40 > 0:02:41No problem at all.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46I've dealt with a few snakes in my time
0:02:46 > 0:02:48but an Indian cobra in Bridgend?
0:02:48 > 0:02:50That'll be something special - and scary.
0:02:50 > 0:02:54Also known as the spectacled cobra and the spitting cobra,
0:02:54 > 0:02:57these beautiful snakes are noted for their white hoods,
0:02:57 > 0:03:01their distinctive marks and their highly venomous bites.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04If one of these has been dumped in the Patels' garden
0:03:04 > 0:03:08it is very, very serious.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12We arrived to find Mr Patel and his gardeners
0:03:12 > 0:03:14discussing what they've seen.
0:03:14 > 0:03:21Is never B, it's V on the back of the neck, V shape.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24This one had a square white band on the back of the neck.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26Straight band or V?
0:03:26 > 0:03:29Straight, it looked like, almost, erm, rectangle.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33So, how long would you suggest it is?
0:03:33 > 0:03:36I would say about 75 centimetres.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39- OK.- Just under a metre.- Yep.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42'It soon becomes apparent that the snake has been around
0:03:42 > 0:03:43'for quite some time.'
0:03:43 > 0:03:48- Two or three years ago...- Yeah. - ..it's came here...- Yeah.
0:03:48 > 0:03:52..in this bush and wife just came down, packed the vehicle,
0:03:52 > 0:03:55she'd gone, and he came out from the bush -
0:03:55 > 0:03:57not to disturb, nothing.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01And she jump, and she moved out, and she gone on that big bush,
0:04:01 > 0:04:04and she went upstairs and looking from upstairs,
0:04:04 > 0:04:07and he just standing and looking to wife.
0:04:07 > 0:04:12- Right, OK.- When you say standing, what do you mean standing?- He's up.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14- He was actually up?- I know this snake, I know this snake well.
0:04:14 > 0:04:18- Like, he's, he's going like that and he's watching the wife...- OK.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22..and then I called the police and then they, everybody,
0:04:22 > 0:04:24- whole team came - they couldn't find it.- OK.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27If it is what you believe it to be,
0:04:27 > 0:04:31if you think it's from a cobra family,
0:04:31 > 0:04:33you know, they are highly, highly venomous
0:04:33 > 0:04:34and we need to be mindful of that.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37- Can we go and have a look then? - OK, let's have a look.
0:04:37 > 0:04:38I think we need to get on.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43The Patels have a beautiful, large garden
0:04:43 > 0:04:47that backs onto thick scrubland and then onto open fields.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50In fact, it's IDEAL snake territory.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52'With so many hide-outs and food sources
0:04:52 > 0:04:55'it's like an all-inclusive holiday resort.'
0:04:55 > 0:04:58There's still a lot left for it to eat at the moment.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00Mammals will still be active,
0:05:00 > 0:05:02fish are still swimming around quite happily there
0:05:02 > 0:05:05and, just talking to Mr Patel,
0:05:05 > 0:05:08there's frogs as well, in his garden.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10Cobras quite like frogs.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14There's quite a bit of banking behind these bushes
0:05:14 > 0:05:15and it's quite good climbing area.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18I'd really like to have a look in here.
0:05:18 > 0:05:22Might be a nice warm place to curl up for the night.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26You can see lots of deep rooted areas in the back of the garden,
0:05:26 > 0:05:28where the snake can curl up.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31Cobras are really, really excellent climbers
0:05:31 > 0:05:32so the last thing you want to do
0:05:32 > 0:05:34is stick your head in to have a look around,
0:05:34 > 0:05:36get hit on the back of your head.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39We're looking for a cobra - where's the nearest antivenom?
0:05:39 > 0:05:41I'll tell you where it is, it's Liverpool!
0:05:41 > 0:05:44So, if anybody got bitten,
0:05:44 > 0:05:47I tell you, it's absolute panic stations to try and save a life.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51We've got a large tunnel, very clean edges
0:05:51 > 0:05:55so a snake would be able to get down here quite easily.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57If this wasn't being used
0:05:57 > 0:06:01then I would expect there to be cobwebs all over the front of this
0:06:01 > 0:06:03- and there's not.- There's not?
0:06:03 > 0:06:07So something has been going in and out of here on a regular basis.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11'With plenty of hiding holes and no obvious sign of the snake
0:06:11 > 0:06:17'we move up into the scrubland and I make a deeply unpleasant find.'
0:06:17 > 0:06:18- Yo, Mark!- Yeah?
0:06:18 > 0:06:20Quick as you can.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28- If we have got a venomous snake, what would you expect to see round here?- Oh, look at that!
0:06:28 > 0:06:31That cat has clearly been killed on site.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33I don't think it's just keeled over and died here.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35They usually hide in corners to die.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38Exactly, they don't die out in the open like that.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41If an animal dies out in the open like that it's because it's in pain.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43It's either been shot, it's been poisoned,
0:06:43 > 0:06:45it's fallen over and died on the spot.
0:06:45 > 0:06:49So, yes, you're right, this is a little troubling.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51'Finding that cat's made it a bit more real'
0:06:51 > 0:06:56because up until then I was starting to think it could be a grass snake.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59They can raise their heads up and they can even hood as well.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02It's not really what I wanted.
0:07:02 > 0:07:08I don't want evidence adding, supporting a possible venomous snake.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12PC Goulding removes the collar in the hope of finding an owner.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16We have no evidence that this cat has died of a snakebite
0:07:16 > 0:07:18and it's been dead too long for me to perform any lab tests.
0:07:18 > 0:07:20So, with the light beginning to fade,
0:07:20 > 0:07:23we head to the field beyond the scrub for a rethink.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27This amount of scrub...
0:07:28 > 0:07:31- ..you could have a family of snakes, let alone one snake.- I know.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33And the back garden connects to the scrub.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36This scrub then connects to this field
0:07:36 > 0:07:38and we've got green corridors connecting all over the place.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42I'm going to suggest to you that this snake
0:07:42 > 0:07:44is not just living in Mr Patel's garden
0:07:44 > 0:07:48but Mr Patel's garden constitutes a very small section
0:07:48 > 0:07:52of its overall territory and it's just visiting periodically.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55- I think there's a wider problem here, a wider issue.- Yeah.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58- Can I make a suggestion?- Please do.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01Why don't we try and stake this animal out
0:08:01 > 0:08:03and then put up remote cameras
0:08:03 > 0:08:05to see if those cameras pick up any evidence
0:08:05 > 0:08:09of whatever snake these people are seeing
0:08:09 > 0:08:10cos they're clearly seeing something.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15We fix trail cams around the Patels' garden,
0:08:15 > 0:08:18including down the sewage pipe.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21Any animal moving across their infrared beams
0:08:21 > 0:08:22will trigger a video recording.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25We'll return in a couple of days to check the evidence.
0:08:26 > 0:08:28In the meantime,
0:08:28 > 0:08:31PC Goulding and I are called out on another exotic emergency.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35A lady in Barry believes her bulldog has been killed by a spider bite.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37As unlikely as it may seem,
0:08:37 > 0:08:40we've got good reason to take this seriously.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43The lady's son travels regularly to the Middle East
0:08:43 > 0:08:46and could have accidentally carried back a venomous spider
0:08:46 > 0:08:47capable of killing a dog.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50Mrs Selby is very distressed.
0:08:51 > 0:08:55- I believe this spider bit my dog. - You do, do you?- Yes, I do...
0:08:55 > 0:08:57- OK.- ..because I left the house,
0:08:57 > 0:09:02nice sunny day, I had him out in the yard, running around...
0:09:02 > 0:09:05- Sorry.- That's OK, sorry, take your time.
0:09:05 > 0:09:07- Come and sit down.- Yeah, come and sit down. Take your time.
0:09:07 > 0:09:08Leave it up there,
0:09:08 > 0:09:12- I don't want anything crawling in it if it's here.- OK.- OK. OK...
0:09:12 > 0:09:15Relax, just take a seat. We're here to help.
0:09:16 > 0:09:20He had a tongue that was long and purple hanging out,
0:09:20 > 0:09:24his lips was curled back and they were black
0:09:24 > 0:09:26and his eyes was popping out of his head.
0:09:26 > 0:09:31I called the vet, soon as he come in he says, "He's had a heart attack."
0:09:31 > 0:09:36But, two days later, put one...left foot into the slipper,
0:09:36 > 0:09:40went to put into the right and the spi... I could see movement in there
0:09:40 > 0:09:45and the spider came out of the toe of my slipper and it run.
0:09:45 > 0:09:49I couldn't find it because I was stunned, I couldn't move.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52My dog would have been under the bed spread-eagled,
0:09:52 > 0:09:57if it had come out then he would either started to play with it or...
0:09:57 > 0:10:00And the spider bit him. That's what I think.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03- That's your belief, that the spider actually killed the dog?- Yes.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06The spider was a creamy-yellowy colour,
0:10:06 > 0:10:10he was about that big when he got his legs up, you know?
0:10:10 > 0:10:13I just want this spider out otherwise, in the end,
0:10:13 > 0:10:15- I'm going to have to leave. I will have to leave.- OK.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19Time for a spider hunt.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23Her son is a seafarer and he's travelling back and forth from Iran.
0:10:23 > 0:10:27The lady has alluded to the fact the gentleman brings his washing here.
0:10:27 > 0:10:31It would be quite easy for a spider to smuggle into that washing
0:10:31 > 0:10:35and be brought directly here. Now, that's quite a frightening thought.
0:10:37 > 0:10:38'You might well ask yourself
0:10:38 > 0:10:42'what kind of spider might have been brought back from Iran
0:10:42 > 0:10:44'but we already have plenty of exotic escapees
0:10:44 > 0:10:46'happily breeding in Wales.'
0:10:48 > 0:10:50False widow spiders are one -
0:10:50 > 0:10:55cousins of the black widow spider that can on occasion kill humans
0:10:55 > 0:11:00but, luckily for us, the black widow spider doesn't live here in Wales
0:11:00 > 0:11:05and none of the six species of false widow that do are deadly.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13- That looks quite suspicious, that. - Do you see it?- Yeah.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15Not a house spider.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18OK, let's keep looking.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21We've also got a dozen native species
0:11:21 > 0:11:23capable of dispensing a nasty nip.
0:11:23 > 0:11:29Black lace-weavers, tube webs, Walnut orb-weavers,
0:11:29 > 0:11:33Rustic wolf spiders, cellar spiders
0:11:33 > 0:11:37but none of them match Mrs Selby's description.
0:11:37 > 0:11:38Beige in colour, you know?
0:11:38 > 0:11:41It's things like camel spiders, actually,
0:11:41 > 0:11:43which aren't true spiders, of course,
0:11:43 > 0:11:44that would be in that area of Iran.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48Related to both spiders and scorpions,
0:11:48 > 0:11:52camel spiders are their own distinct species of Arachnida.
0:11:52 > 0:11:57Fast, furious and the size of an adult human hand, they'll bite
0:11:57 > 0:12:00but they're not deadly.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02- The thing is, they're not venomous.- Yeah.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04So, if it's a camel spider
0:12:04 > 0:12:07it certainly didn't kill the dog through invenomation.
0:12:07 > 0:12:08Could've done through fright.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11And it's a bulldog, so bulldogs can be frightened very easily
0:12:11 > 0:12:13and have heart attacks very easily.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17The best advice we could give her is to bomb the entire house.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20'Don't worry, the bomb is an insecticide
0:12:20 > 0:12:23'that will kill spiders and insects but nothing else.'
0:12:23 > 0:12:26I've got to see this spider gone, I've got to see it go.
0:12:26 > 0:12:27That's fine, that's fine.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29We'll activate it,
0:12:29 > 0:12:32it'll run the fumes, it'll go right the way round your house.
0:12:32 > 0:12:34You'll have to move into your son's house for about 24 hours
0:12:34 > 0:12:37and it'll completely clear the house.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40What ever you saw will have died.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44'We say our goodbyes to Mrs Selby
0:12:44 > 0:12:47'but only on the understanding that I'll return in a couple of days
0:12:47 > 0:12:49'with my spider bomb.'
0:12:53 > 0:12:56Meanwhile, back in Bridgend, it's time to check the trail cams.
0:12:56 > 0:13:00Will we find any evidence of a cobra or any other snake
0:13:00 > 0:13:02in Mr Patel's back garden?
0:13:02 > 0:13:05We've got a big cat, look at that, look, looking at the fish!
0:13:05 > 0:13:07- Look at that, way to go! - Caught on camera!
0:13:07 > 0:13:11- And look at the infrared as well. - Well, we know it's working.
0:13:11 > 0:13:15'From the garden camera we get a series of birds...
0:13:16 > 0:13:18'..cats...
0:13:21 > 0:13:22'..and gardeners...'
0:13:22 > 0:13:24Oh, look at that!
0:13:25 > 0:13:27'..but no snake.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29'And from the camera down the drain?'
0:13:29 > 0:13:31WHOA!
0:13:33 > 0:13:36- That was maybe a rat.- Yeah. - Look at that.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39- Oh, yeah.- Yeah, yeah, that's a rat. - That's a rat.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42So, we know now there's a sustainable food supply.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45Oh, that's really good.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48A food supply but still no evidence of a snake to eat it.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52Don't get me wrong, I don't doubt that the Patel family
0:13:52 > 0:13:56and their gardeners have seen the snake on several occasions
0:13:56 > 0:13:58but the dead cat aside, there's nothing that leads me
0:13:58 > 0:14:01to believe we are dealing with a venomous reptile.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04In fact, in the days since the original callout
0:14:04 > 0:14:08I've developed my own theory as to what this snake might be.
0:14:09 > 0:14:13Less than a mile from the Patel's house is St Mary's golf course.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17Ten years ago, when I was still student at Cardiff University,
0:14:17 > 0:14:20I undertook a survey of the reptiles in the area
0:14:20 > 0:14:25and discovered something I had never seen before...or since.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28What I found was a grass snake that would blow up its throat,
0:14:28 > 0:14:31it would hood up, exactly the same way as a Cobra
0:14:31 > 0:14:34and that got me thinking, "Why would a grass snake do that?"
0:14:34 > 0:14:38Well, it's going to make itself looks very, very large
0:14:38 > 0:14:41and that's going to be intimidating to some of the natural predators
0:14:41 > 0:14:42that it would find round here.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45Have I ever heard of a grass snake doing this before? No.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49Has anyone ever recorded it before? Not to my knowledge.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51Do we have, here, in south Wales,
0:14:51 > 0:14:54a unique population of grass snakes
0:14:54 > 0:14:59that have learnt to intimidate predators by producing a huge hood?
0:14:59 > 0:15:01I think so.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03'But there's only one way to prove it
0:15:03 > 0:15:06'and that's by capturing a grass snake.
0:15:06 > 0:15:10'PC Goulding and I return to the fields at the back of the Patels' house.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13'We're going to lay down some roofing felt.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16'Corrugated and heat retaining, the perfect hidey-holes for reptiles
0:15:16 > 0:15:19'and the small mammals they like to eat.'
0:15:19 > 0:15:22- I really want to get a south facing edge.- OK.- What about up...?
0:15:22 > 0:15:26- See up here?- Yeah, that's set back a bit.- We can hide them away, yeah.
0:15:26 > 0:15:31'I'm hoping they'll attract our mystery snake, but it'll take time.'
0:15:32 > 0:15:35And, meanwhile, I've got to bomb Mrs Selby's house.
0:15:35 > 0:15:39I doubt if we'll ever know for sure if a spider bite killed her poor dog
0:15:39 > 0:15:43but Mrs Selby's been so evidently the traumatised by the incident
0:15:43 > 0:15:45that I've brought an insecticide bomb with me
0:15:45 > 0:15:49that'll kill any eight-legged arachnid still lurking inside.
0:15:51 > 0:15:53So, Mrs Selby, how have you been since I've last seen you?
0:15:53 > 0:15:56A little bit better. Getting used to the idea it's here
0:15:56 > 0:15:59- and we're going to find it. - Yeah.- With your help.- Definitely.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01But before I set off the bomb
0:16:01 > 0:16:03I want to hold a brief spider identity parade.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06I'll show you the first one and I want you to tell me
0:16:06 > 0:16:09if this is anything like what you saw that night.
0:16:09 > 0:16:13Suspect number one, the common house spider,
0:16:13 > 0:16:15found throughout the Northern Hemisphere,
0:16:15 > 0:16:18it'll bite if provoked but its toxins are too weak to harm.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21- No, not that one.- Not that one?
0:16:21 > 0:16:24This one is a slightly bigger spider, I don't want to alarm you.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26- Are you OK seeing this? Yes?- Yes, fine.
0:16:26 > 0:16:30'Suspect number two, the non-venomous camel spider.'
0:16:30 > 0:16:33Had a live specimen snuck back in her son's luggage?
0:16:33 > 0:16:35This wasn't the spider.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38No, the one I seen was mostly all legs and hair.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42Oh, that's fine, absolutely fine so far. This is the next spider.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46Suspect number three, the yellow sac spider.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49A non-native alien invader present in the UK.
0:16:49 > 0:16:54Aggressive and venomous, any bite would need medical attention.
0:16:54 > 0:16:58- Well, this is the pose what I was trying to explain to you.- Mm-hm.
0:16:59 > 0:17:04The colour is similar but...more beigey.
0:17:04 > 0:17:08- Can I offer one more... - Yes, go ahead.- ..spider?
0:17:08 > 0:17:10These can be a lot more beige than this as well.
0:17:10 > 0:17:16Finally, suspect number four, the common-or-garden garden spider.
0:17:16 > 0:17:21Absolutely harmless - unless you're a beetle, an earwig or a woodlouse!
0:17:21 > 0:17:23- No.- Not that one either?
0:17:23 > 0:17:26No, the one you just showed me is...
0:17:27 > 0:17:28..is more like it.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31- That's the one?- Yes.
0:17:31 > 0:17:33'The venomous yellow sac spider.'
0:17:33 > 0:17:36Can you show me how big that spider was again? Just approximately.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38About that big.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40That's actually a lot bigger than this spider gets
0:17:40 > 0:17:43- so it's still a bit of an enigma for us.- Oh.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46But this is the stance of the spider.
0:17:46 > 0:17:50- Is this the poisonous spider? - That one is, yeah.- Yeah.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52- OK. That's the closest one? - Yes, the closest.- OK.
0:17:55 > 0:17:57'Well, the evidence for a venomous spider
0:17:57 > 0:17:59'is conclusively...inconclusive,
0:17:59 > 0:18:03'but I'm going to do my best to give Mrs Selby some peace of mind
0:18:03 > 0:18:05'by setting off my insecticide bomb.'
0:18:05 > 0:18:08All of these cupboards, if we can leave the whole lot open.
0:18:08 > 0:18:09Yeah, will do.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13'We need to open every cupboard, every door and every drawer
0:18:13 > 0:18:17'to make sure the chemicals penetrate every nook and every cranny.'
0:18:17 > 0:18:21Do you really think you'll get rid of the spider, one-way or another, today?
0:18:21 > 0:18:25We will DEFINITELY get rid of any spider that's in here
0:18:25 > 0:18:29because the chemical we're going to use is very precise, very clinical,
0:18:29 > 0:18:33in killing insects but, even more so, spiders.
0:18:34 > 0:18:35'Time to light the bomb
0:18:35 > 0:18:39'and the Mrs Selby to leave her house for the next 24 hours.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42'The fumes are non-toxic to humans but fairly unpleasant.'
0:18:57 > 0:19:00There won't be any live spider in there by tonight.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09When I'm not attending emergency call outs
0:19:09 > 0:19:11or undertaking research work at Cardiff University
0:19:11 > 0:19:15much of my time is spent working as an environmental consultant.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19What that means is that whenever there's a new building development,
0:19:19 > 0:19:21a new road, or bypass,
0:19:21 > 0:19:23I'm called in to make an assessment
0:19:23 > 0:19:26of how it will impact the wildlife in the area.
0:19:26 > 0:19:30As an environmental consultant I have the power to modify
0:19:30 > 0:19:34or even stop any development that is having a negative impact
0:19:34 > 0:19:37on any protected Welsh wildlife.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41Today I'm driving to Llandysul, in West Wales,
0:19:41 > 0:19:43to do an environmental impact assessment
0:19:43 > 0:19:46on a proposed countryside road development.
0:19:46 > 0:19:48I've got to make sure the work
0:19:48 > 0:19:51isn't going to negatively affect the local wildlife -
0:19:51 > 0:19:54particularly Llandysul's badger population.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00Nocturnal, secretive and shy,
0:20:00 > 0:20:03badgers don't exactly advertise their whereabouts
0:20:03 > 0:20:06so it'll require a bit of detective work on my behalf.
0:20:06 > 0:20:10And to the trained eye, badgers do leave tell-tale signs of their presence.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13'Badgers, they're like little tanks of the countryside, aren't they?'
0:20:13 > 0:20:15They're very flat on their stomachs
0:20:15 > 0:20:18and so when they go past they flatten everything.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21As well as badger paths, I'm looking for paw tracks,
0:20:21 > 0:20:25hair and just maybe a bit of poo too.
0:20:25 > 0:20:26'Look at that!'
0:20:26 > 0:20:28Look at those footprints.
0:20:28 > 0:20:30These tracks would have been last night.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34A badger has walked through here, you can even see the claws.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37That's amazing! These are really good prints - look at this!
0:20:37 > 0:20:42One, two, three, four, five. It's going off in this direction.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44This is starting to look like it's about a badger path.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46I think we've picked up the trail.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48Now, we've got a breach there, look. Look, look, look, look!
0:20:48 > 0:20:52You can see something's dug its way underneath.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57Now, that is badger. Look at that!
0:20:57 > 0:20:58That's immense.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01That's a HUGE hole going under there.
0:21:06 > 0:21:07It's badger.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10Basically, if you pull badger hair
0:21:10 > 0:21:15it won't break as easily as lamb wool or sheep wool.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17That's really tough and it's snagged underneath here.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20So, we've got badger hair there.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23I just want to find that conclusive piece of evidence.
0:21:23 > 0:21:27If I could find maybe just some, some badger poo.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29That would be fantastic, wouldn't it?
0:21:31 > 0:21:33I have some! I have some!
0:21:33 > 0:21:37That is badger poo - I am absolutely cer... Oh!
0:21:39 > 0:21:42Yes, 100% sure this is badger poo.
0:21:42 > 0:21:43What you can see here,
0:21:43 > 0:21:46this is a badger that has been absolutely gorging on blackberry.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49Very potent, very fresh.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52That's a badger, here.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58That, for me, is conclusive evidence of badgers living in this area.
0:21:58 > 0:22:03I don't expect to see one in the flesh and with very good reason.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06As an ecologist, if I'm looking for badger in the countryside
0:22:06 > 0:22:08I hardly ever see them.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10Badger are really secretive animals
0:22:10 > 0:22:13and we hardly EVER come across them when we're surveying for them.
0:22:13 > 0:22:15The cherry on the cake
0:22:15 > 0:22:18would be if we can actually get some film footage of the badgers
0:22:18 > 0:22:20so I've set up a little camera here.
0:22:20 > 0:22:24I'm going to leave it here a week and see what we get.
0:22:28 > 0:22:29'Well, it's quite unbelievable.'
0:22:29 > 0:22:34I could see a Red Kite circling round and around -
0:22:34 > 0:22:35they're really good scavengers
0:22:35 > 0:22:37and I thought, "What is he trying to scavenge?"
0:22:37 > 0:22:40I came down and found this.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42This is just around the corner from the camera
0:22:42 > 0:22:45and it looks like a young male badger.
0:22:45 > 0:22:46Very, very sad.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50It's a roadkill, it's been hit by a car, knocked over.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54This is really quite sad and we see it quite often in the autumn.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57Some of the younger males will start to wander around
0:22:57 > 0:22:59and look for mates at other setts,
0:22:59 > 0:23:02and they won't be familiar with the roads,
0:23:02 > 0:23:04and they get knocked over by vehicles.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09Well, not the absolute proof I would have chosen
0:23:09 > 0:23:13but I would still dearly love to show you some live badgers.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18I wait until nightfall and then drive to a nearby secret location -
0:23:18 > 0:23:23a rural garden that badgers have been safely visiting for generations.
0:23:25 > 0:23:30And there I settle myself in on the garden bench...and wait.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45(I love the name for these guys in Welsh, which is mochyn daear,
0:23:46 > 0:23:49(Translates roughly as earth pig.)
0:23:49 > 0:23:52(I think it's such a great name.)
0:23:53 > 0:23:55(There seems to be a whole family here.)
0:23:58 > 0:24:03(If badgers could choose just one thing to eat it would be earthworms.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06(And, actually, earthworms can supply a badger
0:24:06 > 0:24:09(with ALL the water it needs.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11(And these guys will hoover up
0:24:11 > 0:24:15(anything up to 200 earthworms in a single night.)
0:24:15 > 0:24:17(Maybe 20,000 in a year.)
0:24:19 > 0:24:22(These guys will eat anything.)
0:24:22 > 0:24:24(Voles, mice...
0:24:25 > 0:24:28(..they'll even dig out rabbits given half a chance.)
0:24:28 > 0:24:30(What an incredible animal.)
0:24:31 > 0:24:35(I was really hoping that we'd get and see, maybe, a badger.)
0:24:35 > 0:24:36(Maybe two.)
0:24:39 > 0:24:41(We've had the entire family out here.)
0:24:43 > 0:24:45(I'm lost for words, actually.)
0:24:45 > 0:24:48(I just didn't expect them to come out this close.)
0:24:49 > 0:24:53(Just utterly incredible experience.)
0:24:53 > 0:24:56'And my badger encounters didn't end here.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59'One week later, when I checked the infrared camera,
0:24:59 > 0:25:03'it had recorded living, breathing proof of badgers at Llandysul.'
0:25:05 > 0:25:09In law, any building work has to keep a minimum of 30 metres away
0:25:09 > 0:25:11from any existing badger sett.
0:25:11 > 0:25:16In Llandysul the sett was located a good 100 metres away
0:25:16 > 0:25:17from the proposed road work.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21Therefore, I was able to give the all clear to the company
0:25:21 > 0:25:23to go ahead with the development.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28As an environmental consultant I'd done my job
0:25:28 > 0:25:31and both badgers and builders were happy...
0:25:31 > 0:25:32..this time.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40I still have one last case to close -
0:25:40 > 0:25:43the mystery of the Bridgend cobra.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46I'm convinced our cobra is not cobra at all.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49I believe it's a member of the local hooding grass snake clan
0:25:49 > 0:25:51that I discovered ten years ago.
0:25:52 > 0:25:57I'm returning to check the reptile tins laid out around the local area.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59If I can capture a grass snake
0:25:59 > 0:26:03I can ask the Patel family for a positive ID.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06'That's the first of our tins.'
0:26:06 > 0:26:07(Let's have a look.)
0:26:12 > 0:26:13There is a slow worm.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15So we are attracting reptiles here.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17Look at that, there are reptiles here.
0:26:26 > 0:26:30We've got an adder but we want a grass snake.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33# Where are all the grass snakes? #
0:26:35 > 0:26:38Grass snake, grass snake! There, there, there, there, there!
0:26:40 > 0:26:42There are grass snakes here.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44Is this what Mrs Patel saw?
0:26:44 > 0:26:47Well, obviously, she saw a much bigger animal than this
0:26:47 > 0:26:49but she'd recognise the colouration.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52I think it'd be very interesting to show her.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56- Hello, Mrs Patel, how are you? Are you all right?- Yeah!
0:26:56 > 0:27:02I think I have the answer to our enigma, our mystery snake.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04- Is it in there?- Well, I have...
0:27:05 > 0:27:09..the same species in this bag as, I think,
0:27:09 > 0:27:12- as the snake that you saw out here. - Oh, right.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15Now, the one that you saw out here must have been what,
0:27:15 > 0:27:19- about four foot long?- Yeah.- So, this one, I didn't want to scare you,
0:27:19 > 0:27:21I did want to bring you a great big one up,
0:27:21 > 0:27:23so what I've got is a little snake, about this big,
0:27:23 > 0:27:29but I just want you to comment on the skin tone -
0:27:29 > 0:27:31looking at the colouration, the pattern
0:27:31 > 0:27:34and see if there are any similarities at all.
0:27:34 > 0:27:38- Now, if I bring this snake up to you. This is a baby.- Yeah.
0:27:38 > 0:27:40It's a very, very young one.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42If you have a look at the patterning there.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45I know everything's quite similar.
0:27:45 > 0:27:47So, you think the patterning is very similar?
0:27:47 > 0:27:51- Yeah, but you know where, like, all the dots, these, are?- Uh-huh.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54- They were all on top as well.- They can be. They do vary a little bit.
0:27:54 > 0:27:56Can you see, if you look closely,
0:27:56 > 0:27:59- can you see some of the dots, look? On top?- Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:27:59 > 0:28:02Yeah? So, it's very similar then, really?
0:28:02 > 0:28:06Now, this is a British grass snake and they vary in colours
0:28:06 > 0:28:09but they get absolutely massive.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13In Britain they can get to about 1.6 metres long.
0:28:13 > 0:28:14One thing that's particular to these animals
0:28:14 > 0:28:17is they have these fantastic behaviours,
0:28:17 > 0:28:19so some of them will feign death
0:28:19 > 0:28:22and others that I have found in this area,
0:28:22 > 0:28:24within one kilometre of your house,
0:28:24 > 0:28:27have actually hooded up and they've spread the neck,
0:28:27 > 0:28:29the side of the neck, like a cobra,
0:28:29 > 0:28:33and stood upright to intimidate a would-be predator
0:28:33 > 0:28:38- in the hope that the predator will back off.- Oh, my God, yeah.
0:28:39 > 0:28:43- Happier now?- Oh, yeah!- Case closed.
0:28:43 > 0:28:46In the next episode of Rhys To The Rescue,
0:28:46 > 0:28:48I help an iguana with an eye issue...
0:28:48 > 0:28:50That's terrible, isn't it? Yeah.
0:28:50 > 0:28:54..I do a dirty job on the "cheep"...
0:28:56 > 0:29:00..and I bring in the heavies to build a reptile hotel.
0:29:07 > 0:29:11Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd