Bermuda has spent roughly $50,000 looking for a rattlesnake and has not found so much as a scent.
It began on June 26, when the Ministry of Public Works and Environment received what it called a “credible report” of a possible rattlesnake near Gibbs Hill Road in Southampton. A government spokesman said officers from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo were investigating. As of 7pm that day, no injuries had been reported.
The first advice was blunt. Call 911 if you think you saw it. If you can do so safely, keep your eyes on it until authorities arrive, but do not approach, capture or harm it, and avoid sudden movements that could provoke it.
People near Gibbs Hill Road were told to stay out of dense vegetation and to keep their hands out of spots they could not see into, such as beneath boards or inside pipes. Pet owners were asked to keep animals indoors or closely watched. Nearby residents, first responders and healthcare services were notified.
The dogs arrive
The search grew over the following weeks. On July 16, Robert Nozika and Sara Boese of the U.S.-based National Canine Facility arrived with two Labrador retrievers, K9 Yak and K9 Q. Over 10 days they and local staff covered roughly a mile of terrain. Most of the dog work happened at dusk and dawn, when the snake was thought most likely to be moving.
The ministry said the search turned up no snake scent and no physical traces.
Jaché Adams, the minister of Public Works and Environment, said roughly $50,000 had been spent on the response to the report, which later accounts described as an eastern diamondback. “A large chunk of [the $50,000] was focused on the dogs and the logistics of the handlers and the flights,” he said. Add a recent fire ant specialist visit costing about $16,800, and the combined total comes to nearly $67,000, according to The Royal Gazette.
The fire ants are a separate problem, and a better documented one. Red imported fire ants were found in Hamilton Parish in November and at Hamilton’s commercial docks in December. Their stings can stay painful for days.
The Bermuda Police Service described its own investigation as at a “delicate stage.” Adams said the sighting “warranted a comprehensive response” and that the case stays open. “I would consider that we are in a state where all options are being considered and strongly being investigated at this point,” he said.
Sources
- Warning issued about rattlesnake sighting
- Bermuda spent nearly $67,000 in response to rattlesnake sighting, and still found no snake
- Bermuda spent nearly $67,000 in response to rattlesnake sighting, and still found no snake
