CARIBBEAN NET NEWS (Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands) 27 August 08 USVI government agency captures boa constrictor on St Croix (Susan Mann)
St Croix, USVI: Last Thursday, the US Virgin Islands Division of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) received a phone call from a resident on the island of Croix reporting that “a very large snake” was found crawling in the resident’s driveway.
Jennifer Valiulis, Wildlife Biologist and Dr William Coles, Chief of Endangered Species and Environmental Education for DFW responded to the call. They arrived to find a calm and very healthy 7-foot-long, 24-pound Red Tail Boa.
Valiulis and Coles collected the snake, which is now being held by DFW until a good home is found. “We would really like to find a home off the island of St. Croix so this snake will not pose any further threat to the island ecology”, said Valiulis.
Red Tail Boas are a non-venomous subspecies of the Boa constrictor and are native to Central and South America. Adult sizes vary but they usually grow to approximately 10 feet in length when fully mature and live to be more than 30 years old.
“Many people purchase these snakes when they are small and cute without fully grasping how big they can get and the level of care that they must provide. Oftentimes, when the snake becomes too much to handle, the owner will free it into the bush,” said Coles.
Because Red Tail Boas are not native to the Virgin Islands, they have no natural predators here. They feed on native birds, chickens, rats, mongoose, small dogs, practically anything that it can catch. They are able to climb trees making them a big threat to Territory’s native bird species.
To legally import a boa into the US Virgin Islands, owners need a permit from the VI Division of Fish and Wildlife. Many other states require that captive snakes be PIT (Passive Integrated Transmitter) tagged so if they do escape, when they are found, the snake and owner can be identified. A PIT tag is a small device about the size of a grain of rice that is implanted under the skin and allows the animal to be identified with a scanner.
The Division of Fish and Wildlife is in the process of implementing this type of program so it can hold people responsible for letting these snakes go into the wild. DFW urges residents to not release their pet snakes into the bush; if residents need assistance in finding a good home for their snake they can contact the DFW. The agency has offices on St Thomas and St Croix.
USVI agency captures boa on St Croix