Recent snake bite incidents, including a security guard at Bois’ D Orange and a three-year-old girl in Millet, has brought attention to a worrying environmental trend as agriculture officials confirm that snake sightings and bites are ticking upward across the island. Agriculture Minister Lisa Jawahir reported that she has been in close contact with the three-year-old girl’s father and that the toddler is recovering well after attending her follow-up medical checkups. While the young girl is on the mend, authorities warn that this case is part of a larger, more troubling pattern of increased reptile activity in 2026. Residents are increasingly spotting snakes in unexpected urban and residential areas, including Marchand Castries where a snake was recently killed.
“Preliminary information has shown that this time last year we had about five bites and this time this year it has increased.” Jawahir said.
According to Jawahir, scientists attribute the increased activity to rising temperatures and a warmer climate which is driving the reptiles out of their traditional habitats. Second, she said experts note that snakes could be unknowingly hitchhiking into communities by being transported from rural areas inside or underneath vehicles.
In response to the surge, the Ministry of Agriculture has admitted that previous public awareness campaigns urging residents to clear debris and keep yards clean are no longer enough. To combat the issue more aggressively, the ministry has launched a new initiative to train more local community snake handlers under the “Access Benefit Sharing Project” spearheaded by the Department of Sustainable Development.
“What these snake handlers will do, they will be present in various communities providing that sort of swift response as the government continues to have conversations with the Ministry of Health in terms of making the anti venom a bit more accessible.” Jawahir said.
She noted that the anti venom cannot be administered like vaccine as there are supporting mechanisms that need to be in place, such as specialled medical personnel and equipment like defibrillator, for proper treatment.
Health officials have advised the public that snake bite victims must go straight to main hospitals. Currently, anti-venom treatment is strictly available at the OKEU Hospital and the St. Jude Hospital. While the Ministry of Health is actively looking for ways to decentralize these services to smaller clinics in the future, Minister Jawahir is urging the public to refrain from bringing snake bite victims to local Health Centres, warning that delays in getting proper anti-venom at a main hospital could lead to severe complications.
