VIRGIN ISLANDS DAILY NEWS (U.S. Virgin Islands) 14 July 05 Rare snake shakes up jewelry store staff (Tanya Mannes)
Photo at URL: Wildlife Biologist Renata Platenberg holds a rare Virgin Islands tree boa that was found Wednesday morning slithering around a display case in Regency Jewelers on Main Street. (Michael Potter)
St. Thomas: A harmless but rare Virgin Islands tree boa slithered into Regency Jewelers on Main Street on Wednesday morning, startling the shop's staff.
About 9:30 a.m., the 3-foot-long snake entered the store through an open doorway and started to crawl behind a glass display case of fragile pearl, tiger eye, green onyx and coral necklaces.
Rebecca Boswell, a saleswoman, could not believe her eyes.
"I thought Andy was playing a trick on me," she said, referring to store owner Andy Khiani. "I thought it was a rubber snake."
Realizing that the reptile was real, she screamed, causing chaos as employees rushed over to see what was happening.
Khiani, thinking fast, used a wad of paper napkins to grab the snake at one end.
"It was unbelievable - I've never seen a snake here," he said later. "He was trying to go inside the showcase. I knew if it got in the case it would be hard to get him out."
The snake wriggled free and holed up behind the display cabinet, refusing to move.
Khiani contacted the Fish and Wildlife Division of the Department of Planning and Natural Resources and spoke with Renata Platenberg, a wildlife biologist.
Platenberg drove to the store to help free the snake, which she expected to be a common ground snake.
Once the showcase was dismantled, her jaw dropped as she saw the snake, which was tightly curled up. "It's a tree boa!" she recalled saying.
"It is extremely unusual to find a snake like this in a busy location on Main Street," she said later.
The snake is harmless.
One of several snakes that is native to St. Thomas, the tree boa prefers dry, deciduous coastal forests like those on the East End. It is highly threatened by habitat loss and wild cats and dogs. It has been on the federal endangered list for more than 26 years and also is considered endangered by the territory. Since 1982, the Fish and Wildlife Division has received reports of just 120 tree boa sightings, many of which were of dead snakes.
This variety of snake, which is usually 1 to 2 feet in length, can be recognized by a zig-zag pattern of dark brown bands encircling its body. In the sunlight, the tree boa's skin shines with green and blue hues.
Khiani said he was honored that the snake, which is a female, chose his jewelry store. "Since it's a rare animal, I am glad we didn't kill it," he said.
He has named it "Diamond."
Platenberg theorized that the snake could have ended up on Main Street after it hitched a ride on someone's vehicle.
She plans to hold the snake for a few days, then release it.
To report sightings of any snakes, alive or dead, call Platenberg at 775-6762.
Rare snake shakes up jewelry store staff