Parks Department employees yesterday launched a search for a snake sighted in Hog Bay Park in Sandys.

But Wayne Carey, Permanent Secretary for the Environment, said neither the size nor the species of snake was known, because it was still on the loose.

?The report was immediately investigated, and officers of the Parks Department and the Environmental Protection Department conducted a search of the area,? Parks Director Lisa-Dawn Johnston said yesterday. ?While the search continues, evidence of such an animal has not been confirmed.?

Bermuda Aquarium Museum and Zoo (BAMZ) acting principal curator Dr. Ian Walker said yesterday snakes sneaking into the Island from overseas shipping containers were potentially very damaging to local wildlife.

?With Bermuda bringing in building supplies from other countries and with Bermuda as an Island with all sorts of things coming in all the time, it is something we have to be very vigilant about,? Dr. Walker said.

?The invasion of the brown snake in Guam eradicated every species of bird on the island,? Dr. Walker said.

The brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis) was accidentally introduced into the Pacific island of Guam in the late 1940s or early 1950s and caused major ecological and economic problems.

?Only one or two snakes got in there,? he said.

But the Aquarium chief said in order for a snake population to grow in Bermuda a breeding pair or an impregnated female, would have to had found its way here.

?The guys at the docks are very conscientious,? he added.

It is illegal to import snakes or keep them as pets in Bermuda, he said.

A permit is required to import any animal to Bermuda and a special licence is needed for endangered species like endangered Boa constrictors like the one seized by Police in 2001.

The boa seizure shocked Government in 2001, sparking an amnesty for illegal snake owners to turn their pets in, citing public safety concerns.