Adder Addiction.

Hi TM

Firstly, apologies for the delay in authorising your previous post - entirely my fault - I overlooked it!!

So far as reporting adders is concerned, I am sure we can all appreciate your reservations. However, there is little doubt that the adder is under ever-increasing threat and this cannot be addressed by keeping records secret from those organisations which are trying to carry out in-depth analyses of its status and its needs.

Although almost all of these organisations do share records these are largely restricted to other conservation organisations and consultants who need them for monitoring/mitigation. 

As a consequence, failing to report such sightings can actually lead to the animals being under greater threat than might otherwise be the case. Where bona-fide organisations such as KRAG, SARG, ARC Trust, Add an Adder hold records then any release of them into the public domain tends to be obfuscated. 

An example of this can be seen at http://www.arc-trust.org/adder/mapholder.php. 

I for one, really, really hope that you will re-consider - these records are badly needed to ensure that this beautiful snake survives and thrives in our lovely countryside.

All the best

Chris