This Boa constrictor was killed in the village of Massacre this morning.
The snake, which in the process of swallowing a live chicken for breakfast, was shot by Massacre resident and licensed gun bearer, Irvin George, in the back yard of his father’s house.
The house is located in a bushy area just above the Massacre Catholic Church.
George, who is a fire officer, told Dominica News Online that this was not unusual as snakes showed up from time to time in search of a meal from the chickens that his family raised in the area.
One person who saw the snake describes it as being almost 12 feet in length. However, George doesn’t think it was that long and although he could not accurately estimate the size of the reptile, he said it was small compared to others he has seen in the area.
does forestry respond in the early hours of the morning ? cause im just reading this here now its 12.33am and i just saw a snake … will they come or should i l=kill
hmm
This story has generated a lot of comments some factual other based on mere ignorance. A snake will take an ocassional chicken. However, snakes it more rats than chicken. The killing of this snake has caused jubilation in the kingdom of rats. With leptospirosis a concern, the village of massacre would be better off with a live snake than a dead one. If there is ever a case of the desease in massacre rember this snake. Advise from a Forester
With the increase in the rat population island-wide, due to the indiscriminate dumbing of garbage all over, this is a loss when it comes to promoting the health of Massacre.
Thanks for speaking common sense. Oh, our ignorance in this fair isle.
was the snake threatening him?
u all should shut up!!!!!do u live in the area,how would u feel to wake up to the sound of a snake eating chickens behind your bedroom window.for those who wanted it moved live your number here next time i will give u a call.do u all knw tht snake could have wrapped a child if it didnt get any chickens.hmmmm get work for u all to do and stop criticizing when u r no better.
Next time call Forestry 2665862
The Boa will never wrap up a Child . . . You need more education there . . .Boas will not attempt to eat a human of any size not a baby , not a 5 year old not a 10 year old not an Adult . .humans do not smell like the Boas food and humans even the smallest humans are too big for the Boas to eat . .They will not try to eat a human because they already can smell that a Human is not a prey item . . . These Boas are far more beneficial to the Island as rodent eaters than they are harmful . . .you may loose the occasional chicken if your chickens are not properly secured but the benefit Boas eating Rats and other Rodents far out weigh the other losses . .Rodents carry terrible diseases and horrible disease ridden/ laden fleas . . . . The only time a Boa might wrap around your arm or leg is if you try to grab it and disturb it . . Leave the Boa alone and it will go on it’s way never harming anyone . . . . Please try to educate yourself & others of the Good that Boas bring environment
The fire officer may have committed an offence under the Firearms Act of Dominica (chapter 15:31, sub 11), which makes it clear that it is illegal to discharge any firearm within forty yards of a public road or public place and can be liable to a fine of 1,500 dollars on summary conviction.
The law does provide for an exception in case of lawful protection of person or property but I doubt that the snake with a whole chicken in its belly could reasonable be argued to have posed such a threat. In addition, the firearm can be confiscated. This is a serious matter.
Oh please snake in my yard you crazy it could be one foot it dead no if or buts. If he hat a cutlass would it have been better to cut it up in pieces. Snakes belong in the mountains not in your backyard George I’m shaking your big toe.
DO YOU WANT TO CHARGE HIM? Be my guest. You could start by stating: For preservation of life and family I therefore charge Mr. George for preventing the snake from entering his Fathers house to rest.
Why don’t you go and find the Lawbreakers who are making the country look like a piece of the Wild West? Go out there find the unlicensed gunmen, and charge them, while you are at it, look in your own home and see how many times that you all break the laws of the land as you pursue your goal to acquire more wealth. Leave my family alone!
I wish all who say do not kill the snake one day will see one under the seat of the car, close to their feet and leave it if they have a cutlass. Darn fool
Why are we “darn fools” for deciding not to kill a creature that is just looking for a place to sleep and food to eat like everyone else on the earth?
You just turn american boy.
So true. These people are always out for destruction being it killing something, poisoning something or burning something. Ignorance and destruction prevails. People know that there are boas around. They need to keep the chickens safe and locked up, especially at night.
Maybe if it had entered the house, and wrapped itself around my sleeping father it would have been just looking for food and a place to sleep: in his bed!
The snake have rights boy! Maybe when we have so many that the begin to sit at table with us, sleep and even go to church, school and the supermarket with us…maybe then we will humanely dispose of them?
Or maybe we will build a commune for them? Who knows they have rights!!
what I know about what snake poisonous or not ?I know of a snake wrapped around a man’s leg early in the morning and broke his leg on the 1 mile road some years ago. I myself would kill all snake if I can.
You don’t have any poisonous snakes in DA. In fact you only have 2 types on the island. How lucky can you get!
whether boas are not poisonous they are still dangerous
They can be, but how many incidents to you hear of where the boas are killing people or children in DA? I would say almost non-existent. But there are plenty of people killing and hurting other people.
Kill the snake., I just cannot bear them things. Kill everyone of them.
Get rid of rats otherwise. Kill every bloody snake. Hate to see them.
Darn fool, you know why
I really do not understand why a person, albeit a ranking one as Fire Officer would take out his gun and shot this snake. It is pathetic that some sense of courage was demonstrated after shooting this sake.
The snake, from the photo in the caption news, was swallowing the chicken making it immobile, stable and not a threat to anyone, let alone a chicken. The sake was vulnerable and the officer should have picked it up, place it in a big bag and call the Forestry division.
WE NEED TO BE MORE AWARE OF OUR ENVIRONMENT.
I am totally angry with Views Expressed, have you been woken up from sleep at 1oclock or 2oclock in the morning to see a snake in your chicken pen? Have you as a child seen a slithering snake in your very backyard? If per chance that snake did not get the chicken, maybe one of my nieces or nephews would have been breakfast. Or maybe my blind father sleeping in the house.
It would seem that the snake have more rights than my family. If the village has rats, the Ministry of Health should advise the villagers to bait, and provide the bait if necessary, In the area we have killed snakes for as long as I lived there., one even invited itself one day into the house! What if a baby was creeping on the floor, would it have been insensitive to kill it after it had swallowed the child whom it would have made immobile? I guess you would have just placed it back in the wild. Snakes dangerous or not are not pets, and they will continue to be killed as they are seen by us as a danger.
And Mr George knew better: therefore he killed it full stop. Try and find something better to criticize that would make our country a better place!
The man did right to kill the snake, I am afraid of those reptiles, they give me the “creeps”, any time they see snakes kill them, I envy those places that do not have snake, it is good to bring mongoose to eat all of these reptiles, that they could get extinct. Supposing it was a baby, would you prefer the snake kill the helpless child?
Some people give me the creeps!! Does that justify shooting them or getting rid of them in any other way?
Any reason why you HAD to kill the snake? you could have moved it some other area or call somebody to do it if you were scared.
dont know why we really kill snakes in dominica….they are part of our wildlife…and what harm can these snakes do neways…majority of our snakes are not poisounous i think they more try to run away from us than to attack
You are right, except that NONE of our snakes are poisonous and do pose a threat.
The Snake was just being a Snake!
lol i can get some mongoose for yall..
i have two in cage . ready to go
Boy, I hope the wildlife people find you before you do such a thing. The mongoose more destructive than any of our snakes. We don’t need any mongoose here, They are not indigenous and a threat to our wild life. Get rid of them , please.
Thats why we are so infested with rats,idiot why shoot the snake.,
The snakes eat rats.
This article could get this man in so much trouble he does not even realize it. it is illegal to kill the wildlife and even posting it as news. I realize neither Ms. Francis nor the Officer knew how much trouble this could cause.
Well make an example of him. If there are laws to protect wild life, why don’t you enforce it?
That is the problem with Dominica. There are all kinds of laws on the books, but the only ones they seem to enforce is shoplifting.
While you are at it please look for those who kill manicou, agouti, crabs,crayfish veo, and all the wildlife that we eat daily. And those who burn the savannah every year to. If you want to charge Mr George for killing a snake be my guest. Maybe you have a large bank account. This is an entire family that you have to deal with not just one Fire Officer.
Oh by the way, I hope the Fire Service will stand by their own, and your house may be on fire, and someone in your family will need the ambulance, Or maybe you will be in an accident down a precipice and need help. Enough said.
I am happy to know that I am not the only one who thinks that it is not necessary to kill a snake when we see them. The snakes do not harm anyone. They help us get rid of rats. Please let us stop that habbit of killing the snakes when we see them. Its only a chicken. We can go to Save a lot, the snake cannot. It is just trying to survive just like we do. Please do not kill the snakes.
Some of all you need to read. Read people read!!
If anything, this should be news on how NOT to treat a wild animal. Stop killin snakes. Call forestry. They should charge the fire officer. Make an example of him. Conserve our wildlife!
Snakes are part of the natural fauna of the land. Killing them for no reason will do more harm than good. It’s not like there’s an infestation of snakes or anything. Ease up on the snake dem!
nice to know that there are actually still snakes in Dominica. Hope i don’t ever encounter one !!
chupssss
A fire officer killed a snake! Shame! You simply had to call forestry and they would have taken it in the wild. Snakes control pests like rats that spread leptospirosis.
Killed it**
Snakes are not only beautiful and fascinating creatures, they keep disease at bay by killing rats. Personally, I would rather find a snake under my bed than find a rat. We have often found snakes around and once even in our home, we simply put a gardening glove on one hand, and remove it to further in the bush, but we move them ONLY so our dogs don’t hurt them. Also, it is very important not to hurt the snakes neck if you have to move it. My friend has 2 tame boas he rescued from local workmen. He releases then each morning, and they come back each night.
This fear of snakes, I am told, stems originally from the bible . But until I personally meet a talking snake, then I am happy to give them freedom to share my garden.
Please, please, don’t kill snakes. ( or lizards, or bats……..)
Dominica is such of an interesting place .. We have two kinds of people : either you are really highly educated and doing amazingly brilliant things with your life. Or you are an absolute retard.. It’s hard for me to find many people in the middle … The guy who killed the snake falls I to the absolute retard section.
Yes He sure is: He will be the one to save you when you are suffering from snakebite!!!!!!
George should be investigated and dealt with. He had no right to dispense his firearm on the snake.
We all have to eat ,so george you kill it , why did you, You got back in the house got your Gun out to do so, Stop an think what you did as a fire officer, You got ,,,RANK ,,, it a snake,,George Too much killing in Da
@wateva September 6, 2014 “Wen Nicky minaj and Beyonce exposing wat DT HV to do with the young nation or even any of us, and we adults and the public infatuated about these people lives we even making porn because we jealous of wat we see on TV ,big as we’ll as young that’s not news at all and is celebrity DT making news all wat dey do were they go ,who divorce after 3 weeks marriage and we HV that like a big thing,em’s saving lives we not talking about dem doctors saving lives we not tlki g about den giving dem thumbs up is courution we after fat we like.seeing a snake in a backyard is a news the village will be alert that large snakes gunning lose to watch out for there children,its to alert the public wen overseas putting dose things on there news we not saying anything .bit we want and taking about development grow up Dominican,anything can be news it information”
Just a few days ago, I read an article on DNO, which spoke about the concern of better writing in the schools. Unfortunately, this article focused on “penmanship” not composition–which is the skill through vocabulary, grammar, punctuation, spelling, paragraphing, etcetera.
I said to myself, why focus on penmanship, in an age where very few uses the pen and paper to express the sentiment or ideas? But I did not feel like commenting at the time.
And so, here it is above! As I read that comment I almost got breathless–trying to find the purpose of that comment, but to no avail. Isn’t it this type writing which we must be concerned about in this age and time? Good Lord!
Anyway, since this news article is about a snake, may I remind you why the majority of people hate them–including myself; here is the reason below, at Genesis 3:
14 So the Lord God said to the serpent:
“Because you have done this,
You are cursed more than all cattle,
And more than every beast of the field;
On your belly you shall go,
And you shall eat dust
All the days of your life.
15 And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel
It is no wonder why this “killing” of a snake is on DNO! Satan in the snake (serpent) was the reason for the fall of man, through his disobedience to God, in the Garden of Eden.
He continues to be God’s greatest enemy, as he indwells the minds of human beings, to do his dirty and shameful works in this world –we need to be reminded of his wicked and evil acts–even through this news article here.
I am so glad that the man killed the snake. I hate this reptile with a passion!!! Since satan went into that creature and cause Eve to seen I cannot stand that snakes. A woman was goin to get married, she had a dream that the man had a head of a snake. She call the wedding off. The snake represent satan. Peeps if you see a snake kill it!! I mean it.
Thanks for the support. We need it as those who comment may not have had an experience with one being in their back yard. Close up and personal. Every time I see a lot of bush I see snake. I am petrified to say the least. Thank You.
Our endemic wildlife in Dominica are NOT poisonous.
In the event you should discover a snake or other wildlife on your property, please contact the Forestry, Wildlife & Parks Division at (767) 266-5852.
All endemic wildlife is protected under the laws of the Commonwealth of Dominica.
And do they respond within an hour or you got to wait two days??…just asking.
So he suppose to let snake go or hold snake for snake to kill him.
According to the experts, the snake is harmless! When it may have disappeared into its nest to return, for another meal, maybe one of the children, or his blind father?
It was a saturday morning. What time all you Forestry officers would have reached there? After de snake eat all de chickens in de chicken coop???
I know all you government workers bad by all you weekends already.
Ignorance is bliss. That snake would not have swallowed more than the one chicken, that would last it for weeks to come. It takes that long to digest. I would have been lethargic and easy to handle after such a meal. We should learn a bit more and appreciate nature before lashing out with cutlasses, stones, sticks or guns.
Frankly! we have some persons that are worst than snakes. No name, No warrant.
stop the kill
ugh! My worst nightmare. Ugh!
Really DNO? I man killed a snake and you reported that?
What’s next? Somebody sitting on a bus to Roseau will be news tomorrow?
Wen Nicky minaj and Beyonce exposing wat DT HV to do with the young nation or even any of us, and we adults and the public infatuated about these people lives we even making porn because we jealous of wat we see on TV ,big as we’ll as young that’s not news at all and is celebrity DT making news all wat dey do were they go ,who divorce after 3 weeks marriage and we HV that like a big thing,em’s saving lives we not talking about dem doctors saving lives we not tlki g about den giving dem thumbs up is courution we after fat we like.seeing a snake in a backyard is a news the village will be alert that large snakes gunning lose to watch out for there children,its to alert the public wen overseas putting dose things on there news we not saying anything .bit we want and taking about development grow up Dominican,anything can be news it information
Dear “whateva”, I would respectfully suggest you go back to school to learn proper command of English before spouting such unintelligible language on a public medium like DNO. It simply is embarrassing.
Wish I new what you were attempting to say.
@Nacvibes.. me too!
This is cruelty on its purest form. For a fire officer whom I believe to be “brave” and “fearless” this act was cowardly. Snakes are not able to move very fast (if at all) after they have eaten, depending on the size of the pray/meal. The picture provides clear indication that the snake would have been unable to move. Forestry and Wildlife personnel would have, I’m sure, been willing to remove and relocate the snake to a more/less domesticated location. If people took time to educate themselves on the vast importance of snakes to our ecosystem, they would be less likely to take this approach.
hello writer he should have caught it live and bring it to your home sakway sot.
I don’t think this snake is normal to dominica territories. Animal cruelty ? What happens when it kills someone? Great job sir
If you were born in Dominica you would know that this snake is indigenous to the country. There is no record of it ever killing anyone. It is not poisonous. It kills- or renders its prey unconscious through strangulation before swallowing it whole. They do not hunt human beings but avoid them, whenever possible.
I did not think that D/ca had this type of snake, a boa constrictor? I always thought that the snakes in D/ca are not poisonous.
He did right to kill it. If it is not a chicken, next time, it could be a child. or adult.
Good for you that you have a gun and killed it. Every time you see one you should kill it. Why return it to the bush? It will simply return again especially when it smells a bait, as your fowls. Those mammals can smell from afar. They could lie in wait for their next prey and who knows who it will be.
Those of you, bleeding hearts who feel sorry for the snake, wait until one shows up in your yard, on your doorstep, inside your house or under your bed also bite a relative, if not yourself. What would your reaction be?
If there is one thing I question is why snakes were created? We could do without them. Imagine, some people keep them as pets and some dangerous ones. Those things are not beautiful to look at. Even lions or tigers, as dangerous as they are, are beautiful to look at.
Snakes have been known to kill their owners by wrapping around their necks when they are sleeping. This also happened to a little U.S. girl whose father owned one.
Approximately a year or two ago, two little boys who were visiting a friend were sleeping and a snake which the friend’s father owned had escaped and went where they were sleeping and killed them. They usually escape from their cage. Such types of pets should be prohibited.
Some of you stated that the snake should not be killed? What do you know? A few years ago in Toronto, one escaped and an entire neighborhood where the owner of the snake resided had to be evacuated until it was caught. This is a serious matter. Consider the fright and also inconvenience for those people. I have heard many other stories.
I heard this morning on the T.O. News, in California, a cobra (snake) disappeared from its owner’s home. It was not found for four days. It could have easily bitten someone with its venomous poison. You call that a pet? It was caught and is now at an animal shelter. The Law is, it cannot be killed unless it bites someone, if not swallow the person.
Governments of those countries should ban those snakes as pets and also from being imported into the country.
the facts , get ur facts straight, boa constritors r not poisonous. wha happen to you nah?u is a sot nah
Boa constrictors are not poisonous …. they have a right to live just as much as we do. They would not go after a person unless threatened. As much as we dislike things/ animals that were are afraid of, we need to do the right thing by them.
I agree with everything you. I too don’t know why they were created, small dangerous creature
“The Boa constrictor is a species of large, heavy-bodied snake. It is a member of the family Boidae found in North, Central, and South America, as well as some islands in the Caribbean. A staple of private collections and public displays, its color pattern is highly variable yet distinctive. Ten subspecies are currently recognized, although some of these are controversial.” [Coppied from the net]. U are an idiot. U don’t have to kill a snake evertime u c one, u could kill it only if it threatens ur home. All these creatures has their part to play on the earth. U prefer all snakes on the island to b dead so that it will have a massives infestation of rats????
a snake is a reptile not a mamamal
a what
Boas are NOT poisonous. where did you get that idea from?
Boa constrictors are not poisonous snakes.
Dear lady, in your ivory tower in Canada, judging all and sundry.
You have just shown how ignorant you are about the island of your birth. You are such a religious person. Don’t you know that snakes are also God’s creatures and therefore are on this earth for a purpose? Especially our little piece of paradise, where none of the snakes are poisonous and pose no threat to human beings. Shame on you.
@JoJo September 7, 2014
God created the snake (Serpent) but through him, Lucifer, one of God’s favorite angel, made himself God’s enemy, when he used Adam and Eve to rebel against his Creator.
I am surprise to read that “The Facts” does not the story of the snake in the Garden of Eden. I thought that she knew the Bible from A to Z
The snake or “serpent” as it is called in the Bible, is presently living the curse of God today, just as we human beings are living the curse of Adam–with the blessings of God’s Love through mercy and compassion.
That is the reason the snake is an enemy of the majority of humans being, themselves; for God said to Satan, throught the serpent: “I will make enmity between your seed and the seed of the woman (Eve) I personally cannot ever bear to look at a snake in a picture–that animal is such a dreadful looking creature.
A survey once said that the majority of people are more afraid of a snake then being afraid to die; that is to tell you how much the snake is the worst enemy of this world. The snake has no purpose in this world–except for those who do not believe in God and do not know Him.
Read my previous comment above–the information is there.
So he suppose to let snake go or hold snake for snake to kill him. I agree with u. Me i fraid snake… Snake leave a pet store in the us and went straight in a person house and kill their child. I don’t trust no animal. Not a pig, not a goat, not a rat….
i get your point but You need to get your “facts” straight… snakes are not mammals they are reptiles and the boa constrictor is not poisonous
You need to put your TV on some discovery channel every now and again before you come on forums and write 500 words or rubbish
I wish i could examine the brains of every one who gave you thumbs down,,,i think these people are not looking at documentries ,these snake can grow so big and strong that they are capable to swallow a man ,,go on youtube put in snake swallow man ,,,these snakes should be killed ,,,they are not worthy to be alive,,,let one child disapear and found dead in a snakes tummy i am sure that all thumbs will take another direction…
Dun;t let your imagination tun away with you G.B. We do not have a single species of snake in Dominica that is big enough to swallow a man., or even a child.
I gave him a thumbs down, you as well and let me tell you why.
1) Dominica has no poisonous snakes
2) While snakes in Dominica can grow massive, they will not grow no where as large as their counterparts in places like South America. Its like killing a little chiwawa dog because you saw a giant rotweilder. When a Chiwawa will never grow to be that big. Secondly, the ecosystem here cannot sustain such a large animal. Snakes in those countries can catch large game such as deers etc, what’s the largest they can get here? a goat? how often will they be able to find a goat. and no, snakes do not hunt and consider man as prey
What has the snake done that it should be considered unworthy to be alive. Killed a few people every couple years? Using that analogy, Humans shouldnt be allowed to live because we kill more of our kind that snakes ever have and ever will even if you give them 100 year head start. Arrogant homo-sapiens
Dominicans need to be educated about snakes and stop killing them as soon as they see them. We were thought in Dominica from our parents that when ever u see a snake u must kill it. This is handed down from generation to generation and should be stop. Government should put something in place to protect our snakes as Governments do in other places so our children wont ask the question did Dominica have snakes.
Yes Straight up, when u meet one under your bed, or in your toilet bowl I will hear you then…
I totally agree with you. The snakes are to be protected.
Our neighbor found one in his home. Admit it’s a little scary but. it doesnt mean it deserve to die.. “what that need to die allu not killing”
Who said that chicken was in a cage? It probably was walking free in the yard as is the custom in Dominica. Even our people do not recognize trespassing, so why should a snake. After swallowing that chicken the snake was not going to do anything but I guess mr. George wanted to play the hero and show off his gun? Very brave of you mr. George.
Yeah allyou think he is a hero to kill the snakes even putting him on news but allyou harassing others who catch theirs young to raise them to make snake oil to help people with there ailments .
poor snake?that animal is a serpant
“tete chien” (= dog’s head) is not poisonous and I don’t see a reason to kill it. I have one by my place and I have no rats!! I don’t trouble the snake and it does not trouble me.
Poor snake. Did you have to kill it?
Dominicans need to dtop killing snakes, they are there for a reason .snakes are form of pest control they control rat and mice population and other small animals.
get a cat
me ..and i see dat …scooby doo nt faster than me yeah !…lol
Snake in the fowl cage. It got what it deserve now those who did not know you packing, know now. Keep this handy at all times.
Lmao! That one cracked me up!!
Keep a gun handy at all times? wh-wh-why? are we in Iraq or soemthing?