Jamaican boa a protected species

Dear Editor,

The National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), wishes to respond to the article in the Food section of The Gleaner, Thursday, April 29, titled Weird Foods, specifically to the Snake Eaters Stew recipe. The article used an image of the endangered Jamaican Boa (Yellow Snake or Nanka) to illustrate the reference made to snakes as a delicacy.

The agency wishes to remind the public that the Jamaican boa is a protected species under the Wildlife Protection Act (1945). Therefore, it is illegal to harm, capture, kill or have a Jamaican boa in one's possession. Persons found in possession of or any by-product of the Jamaican yellow snake, can be prosecuted under the Wild life Protection Act and can be imprisoned for up to 12 months or fined $100,000.

The yellow snake is endemic to Jamaica. This means it is found nowhere else in the world. Like all Jamaican snakes, they are not poisonous. They feed mainly on rats, birds, bats, lizards, toads and insects. Their population has declined rapidly due to habitat destruction, hunting by mongoose, dogs and cats and unprovoked killings by people.

If the snake is seen in the forests, observe it from a distance and do not disturb it. If it is encountered in a home or outside of its forest habitat, contact NEPA at:

1-888-991-5005 and 754-7540 or your local police station. Please report breaches to the Wildlife Protection Act to the Police.

Editor's Note:

The article to which the above letter refers, did not suggest that Jamaicans eat snakes. The paragraph introducing the recipes read:

Frog fanatics say it tastes like chicken, which leads us to the second animal this week, snakes. The slithery reptiles are also renowned for their chicken-like taste. Some groups in China and Vietnam have a long history of eating snakes which are considered an aphrodisiac. Rattlesnakes are eaten in some parts of south-western United States and other types are eaten as close to us as Guyana.