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Tuesday 3 November 2020 locAl
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The Boa: an Invader Episode LXXVII -77

ORANJESTAD — The rapid adaptability of ca tame down more readily.
some introduced animal species that lat- Aruba’s native bird species are under an alarm-
er became invasive on our continent has ing tread by the boa that came to our island
devastated great part of the original eco- about 20 years ago as a pet or maybe as a
system and the new surrounding environ- stowaway on an air plane or a ship etc. The first
ments in which they found themselves. boa was discovered in 1999. Depending on its
size, a mother boa can give birth to 30-50 live
Since the years of discovery when pets and do- baby snakes at a time. With no natural preda-
mestic animals that went astray and survived, tors on the island, the population has exploded
created a very negative impact if procreated dramatically in a very short time.
and became successful. Traditional medicine, The bulk of their diet consists also of rodents, liz-
Ivory trade and the lucrative illegal business in ards and mammals as large as a big domes-
exotic animals has devastating consequences. tic cat has been reported to have been con-
It is menacing to overturn decades of conser- sumed. Young boa constrictors eat small mice,
vation gains in illegal wildlife trade, threatening birds, bats, lizards, and amphibians.
to overturn decades of conservation gains. This Boa is waiting for the birds to come to drink Juvenile Boa constrictors feeds once a week,
and take a bath.
adults approximately every two weeks. Boas
The Boa and cultivated fields. They are both terrestrial only hunt when hungry and fast during shed-
Representatives of the Boa family are found and arboreal. ding or illness. Boas that has not eaten for three
from northern Mexico, some Caribbean islands Though common believe often imagine boa weeks can still be perfectly fine and fit.
till Argentina. Of all the boas, constrictors can constrictors living in jungles, their habitats are
live in the greatest variety of habitats ranging actually much more diverse. When rainforests is To get to know more regarding Aruba’s and
from sea level to moderate elevation, includ- their habitat, they mostly thrive at the edges of its origins, its animals culture etc. we highly
ing deserts, wet tropical forests, open savannas open spaces. They thrive in dry tropical deserts recommend you to book your participation.
and semi-deserts, woodlands, scrub and farm- Living our cultural encounter session is mind
lands. opening and entertaining curious hearts for
Boa constrictors are not generally considered decades. Mail us at etnianativa03@gmail.
intentionally aggressive or vicious pets. The com. Our facilities and activities take place
snake as pet is more or less indifferent to their close to your place.q
owners. They are not considered significantly
capable of showing any type of affection as
mammals such as dogs and cats do.
Boa constrictors strike when they perceive a
threat. Their bite can be painful, especially from
large snakes, but is rarely dangerous to humans.
A Boa constrictor on the watch for incoming ba-
nanaquits (Coereba flaveola) who made their Specimens from Central America are more A juvenile Red tail boa of approximately two
nest in the hanging lamp irascible, hissing loudly and striking repeatedly feet in length
when disturbed, while those from South Ameri-

Signing of Covenant for cooperation between Aruba Airport

Authority N.V. and the University of Aruba

Mijts. The covenant aims Goals (SDGs) that have vate sector is essential to
to develop joint activities been set by the United Na- foster resilience for sustain-
and foster collaboration in tions.“ The Covid crisis has able development and to
the fields of education, re- shown us that entities that provide opportunities for
search, service to society do not focus on long term students to build interna-
and exchange opportuni- sustainability in all aspects tional expertise within the
ties. of their business, will not be Aruban context. “In that
able to survive the crisis”, sense we see AAA as an
AAA CEO Joost Meijs indi- said AAA CEO. ideal fit to collaborate on
cated that sustainability in This agreement is of utmost several projects on sustain-
all facets will be AAA’s key importance for the Sus- ability and innovation,”
guiding principle for how tainable Island Solutions Mijts expressed during the
Queen Beatrix International through Science, Technolo- signing ceremony.
Airport (AUA Airport) does gy, Engineering and Math- UA and AAA will initially be
ORANJESTAD - Aruba Air- tory Compliance Angeline business in the coming ematics program (SISSTEM) collaborating on the top-
port Authority N.V. (AAA), Flemming, recently signed years. As Aruba is a part of at UA. ics of autonomous avia-
represented by its CEO a Covenant of Cooperation the worldwide community, Eric Mijts explained that tion, infrastructure sustain-
Joost Meijs and Director with the University of Aruba AAA has embraced the collaboration between the ability and on sustainable
Safety Security and Regula- (UA) represented by Eric Sustainable Development university of and the pri- landscaping.q