By KEILE CAMPBELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

A RARE sighting of a diamondback rattlesnake on Harbour Island, Eleuthera, has triggered long-term environmental monitoring, as experts warn of the risks posed by the venomous, non-native species.

Authorities are intensifying efforts to safeguard residents and protect the island’s fragile ecosystem.

Kirkwood Forbes, a pest control expert with 30 years of experience, was among the first alerted to the snake’s presence, receiving a video from a concerned client. 

“There was a diamondback. It’s very venomous; you need at least five doses of antivenom if he bites you to stay alive,” Mr Forbes warned, underscoring the serious danger. 

He suspects the snake may have entered the country through imported grass.

The potential threat has mobilised local scientists, including Dr Ancilleno Davis, a University of The Bahamas professor and founder of the Bahamians Educated in Natural and Geospatial Sciences (BEINGS) network. Dr Davis underscored the need for experts to assess the snake’s impact and ensure it doesn’t multiply undetected. 

“We need to have experts on the island who have the expertise in snake detection and capture,” he said. 

“Permanent, long-term monitoring of that island is needed in the next few months to the next maybe two to three years.”

This sighting is a reminder of past invasive species introductions that have impacted the Bahamian environment. 

In 2013, the invasive cane toad appeared in Lyford Cay, New Providence, prompting a coordinated response from the Bahamas National Trust and government agencies. 

Similarly, the spread of red lionfish, first recorded in the early 2000s, led to widespread culling efforts. These invasive species have demonstrated the ecological challenges posed by non-native arrivals.

The government implemented targeted eradication efforts, including environmental surveys and poison control in specific areas.

Dr Davis highlighted the logistical challenges contributing to the Bahamas’ vulnerability to invasive species. 

“Our country lacks the funding and personnel to monitor every import. We need more trained customs agents, police, and defence force officers to identify and manage these species,” he said. 

The shortage of customs officers on many islands makes it impossible to inspect each shipment thoroughly, further increasing the risk of invasive arrivals.

Dr Davis said The Bahamas, with its porous borders and reliance on imported goods, remains highly susceptible to such invasive threats, a reality that Dr Davis acknowledges.

“This isn’t going to be the last incident,” he said. “As people move more material back and forth to the islands, any of these new developments that come up, if we’re sourcing plant material and other material from outside the country, this continues to be a risk.” 

He highlighted the need for “more local growth in-country so that we don’t have these risks of imports.”

Mr Forbes, who has seen his share of snakes in his pest control career, didn’t hold back about the dangers this rattlesnake poses. 

“He is very venomous, and he’s very huge,” he cautioned. “You will get bitten from him if you step on him or come too close to him; he will strike you.” 

Dr Davis pointed out that the snake could also threaten livestock and pets, especially chickens, which many families raise on Harbour Island.

The Tribune understands that officials are responding to the sighting by ramping up interagency coordination through The Bahamas Wildlife Enforcement Network, led by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, which is assessing and responding to this unusual wildlife threat. 

“They are an interdisciplinary group, a multi-agency group that deals with these more strange wildlife issues,” Dr Davis said.