Press Release:On an island which relaxes the mind, with birds chirping, anoles and whiptails scurrying over leaf litter; Maria Islands Nature Reserve is home to five endemic reptiles including the elusive Saint Lucia Racer.

Date: March 28, 2017, weather: a bit overcast and sunny with heavy showers in the wee hours of the morning. Task at hand- Biosecurity monitoring on Maria Major its absolutely critical we keep those non-native predators off the island!

A three person team set out to bait 12 stations and carry out surveillance for those predators by walking transect lines.

Transects lines are done by walking from station to station and keeping an eye out for predators and reptiles within a 5 feet radius; the findings are recorded on animal observation data sheets.

On-board today, Lanson Paul and Saphira Hunt of the Saint Lucia National Trust (SLNT) along with Mathurin James of the Department of Forestry (DOF). One man short, the teamsplit in two leaving me, dubbed (not by me!) Mademoiselle Snake-Whisperer, to work the tour trail and bait stations in the surroundingareas, while Mathurin and Lanson set out on a mission to bait the farther end of the island.

We use bait in stations (boxes that encourage rats to enter if rats are present which they arent, touch wood) as a way of detecting any invasions.

Maria Major had a quietness I couldnt place (maybe because I was alone in this tranquil place). There was something calming about being on the island at 9:00am working alone. I carried on with my task and walking transects.

Having done stations #6 and #3, I walked my next transect to station #1. Keeping my eyes peeled to the ground for any Saint Lucia Whiptail sightings, as I was in the area where they are most abundant on the tour trail.

With bait station #1 now in sight I did a final check before ending the transect, and there I spotted a greyish colored Saint Lucia Racer scurrying away from me. Down on my knees I crawled beneath the hedge along the trail with hope of capturing my elusive friend. They are gentle reptiles that dont bite and are not poisonous, so I wasnt worried.

True to its name the racer got away from me trops vit, speeding under the leaf litter and out of sight. Being the worlds rarest snake, its understandable theyre nervous. Having remained quiet for 10 minutes, I was hoping my friend would resurface. But, with no luck, I continued with servicing station #1.

Under the canopy, I went to access the remaining bait stations. Station #2 done and onwards to #4. On that transect I spotted five Saint Lucia Anoles; about to record them on the data sheet and Voila! Another Racer racing by- this one brownish in color and bigger than the first.

The kit I was carrying goes crashing to the ground as I gave chase through a jungle of vines, slippery leaf litter and small trees. The Racer again was victorious in this 100 meter dash. Still I am elated two Racers the Worlds rarest snake in a mere 10 minutes; talk about luck!

Added to these two sightings this year, another racer was caught on March 16, 2017. Lanson Paul, playing the role of Tour Guide for a two-person tour to the island, returned to Maria Majors beach after the hike. On the beach they found Richie Robert, the boatman, resting in one of the small caves by the shore. A plump rock gecko suddenly races past Richie sporting the stub of a freshly missing tail, and a juvenile Racer hot in pursuit.

Three Racer sightings in two weeks; what a treat! They say a black cat crossing your path is good luck; but give me a Racer any day.

More news from Saint Lucias offshore islands next time

See the article here:

Sighting of the World's Rarest Snake at Maria Islands - St. Lucia Times Online News (press release)