Almost $67,000 has been spent by the Government in efforts to locate a rattlesnake and fire ants on the island.

Jaché Adams, the Minister of Public Works and Environment, said the ministry had spent about $50,000 after an eastern diamondback rattlesnake was reportedly spotted in Southampton on June 26.

Teams from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo and other island organisations, as well as specialists from the US-based National Canine Facility, searched within about a mile of Gibbs Hill Road for the reptile.

Robert Nozika and Sara Boese, owners of the National Canine Facility, and their Labrador retrievers K9 Yak and K9 Q, who are trained to scent the snake, arrived on the island on July 16 and searched for ten days.

Mr Adams told The Royal Gazette last week: “A large chunk of [the $50,000] was focused on the dogs and the logistics of the handlers and the flights.”

He added: “Most of the searching time, particularly with the dogs, happened at dusk and dawn, it was believed that those were the hours that the snake would be most mobile and thus easier to be detected.”

However, the ministry said last month that no physical evidence or scent of a snake was detected during the search.

Mr Adams said at the time that the reported sighting was considered credible and “warranted a comprehensive response”.

Asked last week if he thought the reported snake sighting was a hoax, Mr Adams said: “I would consider that we are in a state where all options are being considered and strongly being investigated at this point.”

The Bermuda Police Service said last week that an investigation launched in the wake of the snake-sighting report was at a “delicate stage”.

The National Canine Facility were not the only animal consultants recently on the island — a British Overseas Territories fire ant specialist left Bermuda on August 6 after two weeks.

Red imported fire ants, one of the world’s most invasive species, were identified in Hamilton Parish in November and at the commercial docks in Hamilton a month later.

A ministry spokeswoman said that the fire ant specialist’s most recent visit cost £12,445 (about $16,800).

She noted that two previous fortnight-long visits by fire ant consultants were funded by the British-based organisation Fera Sciences Ltd at no cost to the Bermuda Government.

The spokeswoman explained: “The visits form part of the ongoing technical support and specialist assistance being provided to Bermuda's fire ant response efforts, drawing on expertise and experience from across the UK Overseas Territories network.”

Red imported fire ants, Solenopsis invicta, native to South America, are known to cause significant environmental damage and produce painful stings that persist for days.

In another update about his ministry’s work, Mr Adams said last week that the design for a 15,000sq ft Agriculture Services Centre on Schools Drive had been submitted to the Department of Planning.

He said in March that excavation for the facility in Devonshire was complete.

Mr Adams explained: “I’ve had discussions with the [minister responsible for planning and] re-emphasised the urgency that we believe this needs, because we recognise there is a need to have this facility back up and running in its capacity that we all, as a country, envision.”

Walter Roban, when he was the Minister of Home Affairs, said last year that the facility will provide cold storage, banana ripening and other “essential services” while supplying seeds, chemicals and packaging.

The Development Applications Board approved plans for the centre in May 2025 and ordered development of the facility to begin within three years of that date.

Asked if the project had faced any hurdles, Mr Adams said last week: “There’s hurdles and challenges with every capital project … some are within our control, some are not, some are easy fixes, some are not.”

He added: “We have not lost sight of the need to progress forward and we continue to drive home that message.”

The minister also said he “would hope” that MPs will have the chance to debate the Marine Development Act in the House of Assembly before November.

Proposals within the Bermuda Ocean Prosperity Programme are expected to be executed once the legislation passes in Parliament.

Fishermen, hoteliers and other stakeholders met Mr Adams last month to discuss the BOPP, which proposes, among other things, fully protecting 20 per cent of the island’s waters.