BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - IN recent times, snakes of various species have surfaced in the twin-island Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis. This, to most people, is a rare phenomenon because for centuries they were not seen due to the presence of many mongooses.
Citizens, over the past few months, have seen a rapid increase in the number of snakes on both islands. As recent as August, three of them were seen in the Basseterre area. And sometime before that, another one, which measured some five feet, was accidentally ran over by a vehicle in Frigate Bay.
With each reported sighting, the same questions are being asked: “From whence they came? How did they get here? Are they poisonous? Is there any more?
Research has shown that there is not much documentation on the history of snakes in St. Kitts and Nevis, but it is still believed that they indeed inhabited the Federation.
SKNVibes spoke with the Acting Executive Director of the St. Christopher National Trust and Environmental Specialist, Kate Orchard, who confirmed that there are two species of snakes indigenous to the Federation - the Flowerpot Snake and the Blind Snake.
She said that they live mainly in mountainous areas and that is why they are rarely seen.
Orchard explained that they are usually mistaken for earthworms and that could be another reason why there were not many reports of their sighting. She noted that with the recent upsurge in the sighting of snakes, people are more vigilant and that could be the reason for them being noticed.
She is however encouraging people not to kill the snakes when seen but instead capture and take them to the Agriculture Department for analysis.
The Blind Worm Snake is fairly common, even if not commonly seen in both St. Kitts and Nevis. The species are seen in Montserrat, Barbuda, Antigua and St. Kitts and Nevis.
The Blind Worm Snake has a brownish pink coloration resembling and are often mistaken as earthworms. Their bodies are very slender and their scales give them a segmented appearance. They are usually found in wet habitat on the slopes and in the moist forests.
It is said that their common name comes from the fact that their eyes are greatly reduced almost to the point of uselessness and hidden behind a protective head scale.
It has a chest length up to 258 mm, with a tail up to 44 mm long. Their primary diet is ant and termite larvae.
Another species of the Blind Snake family is the Flowerpot Snake, which is also native to the Federation.
Much like the Blind Worm, the Flowerpot Snakes have very slender bodies and are also often mistaken as earthworms, except that they are not segmented. These snakes average between 2.5 to 6.5 inches in length.
The head and tail-tip look much the same, with no narrowing of the neck. The eyes appear only as a pair of small dots under the head scales. The tip of the tail ends with a tiny point.
The colour of the snakes varies from shiny silver gray to charcoal gray or purple. The moniker, "flowerpot snake", derives from the snake's incidental introduction to various parts of the world through the plant trade.
The Blind Snake family is said to be completely harmless and do not live for more than one year.
Another species of snake said to be indigenous to the Federation is the Racer Snake, although there have not been any recent reported sighting.
It is commonly called the Red-bellied Racer, the Saba Racer or the Orange-bellied Racer and is said to be of a very large family that includes the majority of harmless species.
The snake is also said to be prevalent to the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean and is found on St. Kitts and Nevis, Saba and St. Eustatius.
The males have black-bordered blotches that transition into a dark mid-dorsal stripe towards the tail, while the females have a series of streaks and smudges down the middle back portion that fade towards the tail.
www.bio-diversity-nevis.org states: "A Racer snake has been recorded for both islands [St. Kitts and Nevis]; however, there have not been any confirmed sightings for several years and it may have been extirpated by mongoose. There have been interesting reports within the last four years of the occasional sighting of a small brown snake in the village of Cayon, located on the northeast coast of St. Kitts."
There has been a major increase in the number of Blind Snake sighting in the Federation, and other species of snakes have also been spotted.
There are many persons who believe that snakes are indigenous to these islands but were wiped out in the earlier centuries, but there is little evidence to support this theory.
Information gleaned from the National Museum states that there was a period environmental change in St. Kitts and Nevis between 1624 and 1645 where there was the removal of a number of vegetation, fauna, soil and other effects.
Among the fauna removal were feral hogs, the depletion of turtles, iguana and native monkeys. Although not stated, there is the possibility that snakes were also wiped out with these other species of fauna.
There are also many residents who are of the view that snakes existed in the Federation but were wiped out during the period of time when sugar was produced, as mongooses were brought to kill them.
This publication spoke with Veterinary Officer Dr. Lesroy Henry who gave details of another species of snakes being seen.
He said that apart from the Blind Snake family, the only other snake known by the Agriculture Department to be in the Federation is the Corn Snake, also referred to as the Garden Snake.
He explained that this species is light brown or beige in colour and is not venomous, adding that they grow to be about five feet in length and live longer than the Blind Snake.
Dr. Henry warned that snakes are not permitted to enter the Federation. "We do not import snakes, they are not allowed to be brought in as pets."
He said dangerous snakes are usually orange, black or have red spots. He however noted that their colour has to be patterned a specific way to determine whether or not they are venomous.
Dr. Henry declared that there is no need for residents to be alarmed, as there is no outbreak of snakes within the Federation.
The Veterinary Officer however advises that anyone who comes across snakes not to kill them, but instead contact the Agriculture Department or, if possible, capture the snake(s) and take it there.
He explained that if the snakes do not reach the Department, there is no way for them to be able to run tests to determine the species, it level of danger or even the sex, noting that it is very difficult to determine the sex of a snake or whether or not it is pregnant.
SKNVibes also spoke with a knowledgeable individual on the condition of anonymity, who gave details of the possibilities of snakes entering the Federation.
The individual said that snakes are very good at hiding as well as swimming, and that they could swim from one island to another, regardless of the distance.
The person believes that many snakes enter the Federation through boats that import foods from the Windward Islands, noting that that chain of islands have many snakes of different species.
"Snakes could have come in on the boats and easily been missed at the checking points, especially if they entered as babies and have gone on their journey to different areas of the islands, and they are being seen now because they are grown. That is one possibility," the individual said.
The person said that with the close of the sugar industry in St. Kitts and Nevis and the Federation focusing mainly on tourism, there is need for development and with that, there is the vast importation of building materials and potted plants among other things.
"They can come in on any plant or anything that has soil or could provide shelter or a hiding place for them. They can also come in on lumber, bags or anything that has not been treated with pesticide or insecticide.
"The snakes here could have also been smuggled in. When people travel and see things that they don't usually see in their homeland, they are fascinated by them and want to bring them here. That again is another possibility," the person explained.
The individual warned that the snakes could pair up, mate and make babies which would in turn grow to be adults, mate and make more babies.
"If this happens, in a few years time we would have snakes slithering all over the place," the person warned.
SKNVibes spoke with the Public Relations Officer in the Customs and Excise Department, Larry Vaughan, who said: "At this point, we have no record of anyone seeking to import any form of wildlife that matches the description of these snakes.
"We have begun to step up our vigilance with regard to imports that can possibly contain this form of wildlife or stowaways."
While it has been confirmed that certain species of snakes are indeed indigenous to the Federation, their sightings have and would continue to spark fascination in some and fear in others.
Residents are however encouraged not to slay the snakes when seen but, instead, take them to the Agriculture Department for analysis.
