Dear Editor,

I am writing this letter to state my concern that the Jamaican boa might soon become extinct.

The Jamaican boa or yellow snake is endemic to Jamaica and is on the verge of extinction because of loss of habitat. It is also endangered by attacks from predators that are not native to Jamaica but were introduced to the island by man.

The Jamaican boa is classified as vulnerable (VU) on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of threatened species in Jamaica, and this means that they will possibly soon die out.

I want to give my opinion on how and why we should protect this creature. The Jamaican boa is extremely important for keeping down the population of rats and other insects in Jamaica that may carry diseases that can be fatal to humans. It is not venomous; therefore, it is harder for it to protect itself in a habitat that is not its own.

One of the biggest predators of the Jamaican boa is the mongoose, which frequently attacks and kills the boa when it is in the wild. I therefore suggest that some of the Jamaican boas should be taken into a captive breeding programme for breeding, then released back into the wild. I would also suggest that as humans we should try our best to stop destroying their habitat and try our best to rebuild it instead.

We should remember that the Jamaican boa is on the verge of extinction because of the loss of its habitat and the introduction of predators to the island – actions for which we are responsible.

We should also remember that the Jamaican boa or yellow snake is helpful to Jamaicans because it eats animals that can transmit diseases to us; therefore, we must make every effort to help them.

Aaron Walker

Student

El Instituto de Mandevilla