Saint Lucia’s Forestry Department has expressed concern over the entry of invasive creatures after capturing a snake not native to Saint Lucia on a hotel property in the North.
Assistant Chief Forestry Officer Pius Haynes said the snake is a Western yellow-bellied racer, endemic to the Western United States, including California, Oregon, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Montana, and Colorado.
Haynes emphasised that the creature is non-venomous.
However, the Assistant Chief Forestry Officer said Wednesday’s discovery highlighted the need for invasive species management since the yellow-bellied racer is not indigenous.
Saint Lucia currently has four indigenous snake species, including the Saint Lucia boa, the Saint Lucia racer on Maria Major, the Saint Lucia thread snake, and the fer de lance.
The fer de lance is the only venomous one.
Haynes explained that any other exotic snake species would be considered invasive.
“It highlights the great need for invasive species management at the national level. It also highlights the need for border control, because these species would be coming through our borders,” the senior Forestry Department official told St. Lucia Times.
He said the department did not know how the yellow-bellied racer got onto the hotel compound.
But after its capture, the department transferred it to the zoo at Union for assessment and data collection before determining what to do with the creature.
It is very important to look make sure that we see and know everything that comes into the country search properly this is dangerous with our people living free going about our business and boom surprise what can we do screen no by the time we do we are already sting and die
We actually have two venomous snake species You forgot to mention the other. The other is the Humanous Back Stabber or english term backstabbing humans aka people
Oh look they found Guy, the snake.
We are all invasive species. We not indigenous to St Lucia either. Our ancestors came from Africa, India, Europe ect.. it is only a matter of time before the adaptation. This has been happening for thousand of years. One monkey got here and two and soon bam! That’s just life! Hate those white terms like invasive specie! The snake probably hitch a ride on some boat. Got land and came to settle. Just like every other creature did before it in one form or another.
We have two more venomous snakes – Guyanous Josephenous and Allenous Chastenous. DEADLY
I thought we sell St. Lucia as a naturistic and egoistic romantic destination. Now we crying out about invasive snakes. Aren’t St. Lucians an invasive species too who enjoy invade other people private business?
OMG…I have to watch my footsteps and be vigilant at all times as I’m not a fan of SNAKES.
If this snake is not a lucian and could be an American or Mexican that means this creature is already crawling around the island in people’s garden and backyard it could also enter your
house this is not funny
We have 2 political snakes in the opposition guy and Allan . I hope they put them in a cage soon … 20 million usd