South Lanarkshire Council has faced a fierce backlash after refuting claims that a dog was bitten by a snake in East Kilbride.
A furore ensued online after the local authority stated it had found "absolutely no evidence" of adders in Calderglen Country Park while investigating the alleged attack on Thursday, June 22.
Local dog grooming business Awwz & Pawz posted on their Facebook page that one of its canine customers, one-year-old Staffie Stella, had its leg amputated after 'being bitten by an adder' while being walked near a stream in the South Lanarkshire park.
The injured pup was rushed to the vet hospital four days later where the decision was made to amputate her hind leg.
The dog walker, who also runs a grooming business, shared pictures of Stella's wound in a warning to pet owners and claimed the vet confirmed it was a snake bite.
Lanarkshire Live contacted Awwz & Paws but the business refused to comment, stating that the dog's family 'had suffered enough'.
Her post online read: 'We were walking a route which I've done hundreds of times. She was a bit away from me. When she was bitten that's when I ended the walk.
'She had what looked like a cut on her paw. Over the weekend Stella had lost function in her paw and the vet decided they would have to amputate her leg.
'After they amputated they could see the wound from the inside and the vet confirmed it was a snake bite. The flesh on the paw was rotting away, it was horrific.'
The post also claimed there have been further sightings of adders in Hillocks Park in West Mains.
While bites are rare, adders are Scotland's only venomous snake so medical help should be sought immediately.
However, South Lanarkshire Council has now shared a message on social media claiming the incident has been investigated and there is "absolutely no evidence" of adders in the park.
They went on to say that herpetologists, who are based on site daily, have stated there are, in fact, no adders present in East Kilbride.
Their statement read: 'An important note regarding claims that a dog was bitten by an adder in Calderglen Park in East Kilbride.
'This has been investigated by the council and there is absolutely no evidence of any adders in this area, let alone any dog being bitten by one.
'Our thoughts are with the dog that did sustain an injury and its owner. However, our investigations have found no evidence the injury was caused by an adder.
'We have also consulted experts in the field of herpetology, which is the study of amphibians and reptiles, and their clear advice is that adders are not present in East Kilbride or Calderglen Country Park.'
A fierce backlash has since ensued as members of the public raised concerns over the council's response to the incident.
Sharing unconfirmed images and video footage of an adder, local historian Chris Ladds, who runs Calderglen & Calderwood Castle History Facebook Group, asked members about the presence of adders in the town.
He claims Calderglen's former ranger service hosted 'On the trail of adders' events at the park in 1987 for the European Year of the Environment, and that there is a 1961 record of adders in the Kittoch Valley at Arrotshole in Stewartfield from when the council explored the possibility of creating a nature reserve there.
Chris said: "A substantial number of verifiable reports exist, including within the past six years, of documented adder sightings at Blantyre Muir near Newfield, Crosshill near Langlands and several instances at Ardochrig and Cleughearn, all within the East Kilbride landward area.
"This only emphasises what has been established fact for a long time, that this area falls within the established geographical range of these reptiles."
A member of the group added: "Been fishing the Calder for 40 plus years seen plenty of grass snakes and the odd adder as per pic they seem to like tarmac for the heat as that is the only place I have seen them in Calderglen."
Lanarkshire Live contacted Champion Vets and Vets Now Hospital but neither practice could comment due to data protection laws.
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