Horseshoe snakes have become an exponentially growing problem in the Balearic Islands. In 2024, the regional government captured 3,878 snakes in the Pitiusas Islands, compared to 2,007 the previous year. Specimens have been found measuring almost two meters, although the normal length of an adult snake is between one and one and a half meters, with a weight of 500 grams. The reptile poses a danger to native fauna such as the lizards of the Pitiusas Islands and specific areas of the islands. But it doesn't only affect this species; it also threatens shrews, specifically the grilled shrew, a subspecies endemic to Ibiza, and mice.

Horseshoe snakes have become an exponentially growing problem in the Balearic Islands. In 2024, in the Pitiusas Islands—where this species has been classified as invasive since 2013 and, therefore, specific campaigns are carried out to eradicate it—the regional government captured 3,878 snakes, compared to 2,007 the previous year. "Specimens of up to almost two meters have been found in the Islands, although the normal length of an adult snake is between one and one and a half meters with a weight of 500 grams," explains Tomàs Bosch, head of Species Protection at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Natural Environment.