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a32 local
Tuesday 5 May 2020
Aruba’s nature is to be cherished

ST. CRUZ — The national park Arikok is managed by the
Foundation National Park Arikok (FNPA) and comprises
almost 18 % of the island. Its rugged terrain, desert-like
hills filled with tall cacti, breathtaking coastline and pro-
tected local flora and fauna welcome you to be explored.
There is numerous wildlife to discover like for example the
sea turtle who lays his eggs on the park’s beaches, in-
digenous reptiles include the cascabel, the santanero or
Aruban Cat-eyed snake and the kododo blauw or Aru-
ban whiptail lizard. Birds include the shoco or Aruban bur-
rowing owl and the prikichi or Aruban parakeet. First des-
ignated as an important national area in the 1980s, Arikok
National Park is home to popular hiking trails, covering all
kinds of terrain from hills to gold mines, and even planta-
tion ruins. In the national park some traditional Aruban
houses in the cas di torto style can be visited.

Boa
Although Parke Nacional Arikok is temporarily closed for
motorized vehicles and tours, their Park Rangers continue
surveilling the protected areas of Parke Nacional Arikok
and Ramsar Site Spaans Lagoen. Additionally, our island-
wide Boa service is still in full operation. Since the Coro-
navirus lockdown, we have seen a remarkable increase
in the number of calls from the community requesting as-
sistance of the park’s Boa service. If you need assistance
then please message them through Facebook messen-
ger and a Park Ranger will contact you. It is important
to remain calm and keep a close eye on the Boa until
the Park Ranger arrives at your address/location for as-
sistance.

In an effort to conserve our native species, FPNA is con-
ducting long-term research on the invasive Boa’s distribu-
tion, diet, and health.
Through FPNA’s Boa service, the Park Rangers collect and
humanely euthanize boas. The Research & Conservation
Department then measures and dissects the Boas to as-
sess their organs. The acquired data will provide a better
understanding of the Boa population on the island. This
research is done in collaboration with Dr. Jeff Goessling
from Eckerd College in Florida.

Recognize snakes
FPNA strives to create awareness amongst the commu-
nity on the different snakes that reside in Aruba. As you
may be spending more time in your garden during the
current crisis, it is crucial to recognize our native species
and the invasive species. The most common snake that
you can encounter in your garden is the Santanero, na-
tive to Aruba and Venezuela. A Santanero in your garden
will keep away the insects, toads, frogs and lizards.
Our Santanero is smaller than 50 centimeters, has a dark
and light brown-banded pattern and a plain white belly.
Its head is round or oval-shaped. If you encounter a San-
tanero around your garden, please do not harm this spe-
cies.
The Boa constrictor, an invasive species, was introduced
to Aruba and is consuming much of our local fauna. The
most distinctive feature of a Boa is its pattern of dark
brown and tan blotches which become red toward the
tail.
The belly is white or cream-colored with numerous black
spots. If you encounter a Boa around your garden, please
make sure that it is a Boa and not a Santanero. If you
have any doubt send FPNA a photo through their Face-
book messenger to verify the species. In case it is a Boa,
a Park Ranger will contact you.

The Arikok Park is closed until further notice due to the Co-
rona crisis, for more information you can visit their Face-
book page and website.q