On a tiny island located half a mile from the South East Coast of Saint Lucia is the Saint Lucia Racer, a small, non-venomous and critically endangered snake, with fewer than 20 left in the wild…
History of the Saint Lucia Racer
The Saint Lucia Racer, scientifically named Erythrolamprus Ornatus, is native to Saint Lucia and naturally inhabits forest and shrubland. The colouration on these snakes varies, with some having broad brown stripes, and others sporting alternating yellow spots.
Once considered the second most common snake on Saint Lucia, the species was nearly wiped out completely following the introduction of small Asian mongooses in the late 19th century.
Saint Lucia Racers were believed to be extinct up until 1973, when a small population was discovered on Maria Major, a small island just 800 metres off the Saint Lucia mainland. In 1982, the Saint Lucian government declared Maria Major a nature reserve to help protect the remaining population of Saint Lucia Racers. Today, this is fewer than 20, and sightings are extremely rare!
Visiting the Maria Islands
The Saint Lucia National Trust has been conducting environmental educational tours to the Maria Island since the early 1980s, showcasing the unique views and rare animals. Expert guides escort visitors from the Saint Lucia mainland to Maria Major via a local fishing boat, but enforce a number of strict rules upon visitors to safeguard the integrity of the Nature Reserve.
Some of those rules include:
- Visitors must be no older than 70 years, except in instances where special written approval is granted by the trust.
- Visitors must not use cigarettes, alcohol, sirens, alarms or any form of loud sounds, knives, machetes, lighters, or flammable liquids.
- Visitors must not remove any items such as shells, rocks, soil, plants, or any aspect of flora or fauna from the Island.
CEO on the Island
For several consecutive years, our CEO, Rob Vivian, has flown to Saint Lucia and had the privilege of visiting Maria Major to try and catch a glimpse of the Saint Lucia Racer.
Thanks to his dangerous animals’ licence and reptile expertise, Rob has developed a relationship with the Saint Lucia National Trust. Now, on his yearly visits, Rob makes the short trip from the Saint Lucia mainland over to Maria Major with two expert guides in tow in hopes of being one of the lucky few visitors that year to secure a sighting of the snake. In fact, back in 2019, he was the only person that year to see the Saint Lucia Racer, with the guides themselves even failing to catch a glimpse.
Rob will return to Maria Major this year to try and retain his title of Chief Saint Lucia Racer Spotter… ok, that’s not his official title, it’s just one we gave him in the office 😂
