Locals warn tourists ‘will die’ if they visit ‘world’s most dangerous’ island

The world has never been more accessible to humans, but it seems that one island is completely out of the question.

Located 30 miles off the coast of Brazil is an isolated island called Ilha da Queimada Grande, also known as Snake Island, a place so dangerous that humans are prohibited from visiting.

With a total area of just 43 hectares (106 acres), the small island is restricted because it is home to an abundant snake population — one snake per square metre – and, more specifically, the world’s most poisonous snake.

Named Golden Lancehead, the rare vipers are critically endangered, and while their main food source is birds, they have the ability to kill a human within just one hour.

That’s not all, either.

Having found themselves stuck there more than 11,000 years ago after sea levels began to rise and disconnected the island from Bazil’s mainland following the last ice age, the venom of these snakes is considered five times more potent than that of mainland vipers.

Thankfully, they are no threat to us, and to ensure we are not a threat to them, the Brazilian government has declared the area a strictly prohibited site for tourists — except for a select number of scientists, the Brazillian Navy and, sometimes, a journalist.

In 2019, Australia’s 9 News Reporter Tara Brown was able to arrange a visit to the forbidden island.

In her report, she said: ‘When we were speaking to local fisherman, they told us, “That’s not a good idea, you don’t want to go there”‘.

‘There are legends about a whole family being killed there and of pirates burying treasure on the island and the snakes being put there to protect the treasure,’ she said. ‘The fishermen said they never went there, or they would die.’

Tara, however, lived to tell the tale.

Guided by Dr Bryan Fry, ‘a self-confessed snake geek’ who loves venomous snakes so much that he calls himself the ‘Venom Doc’, Tara found that the island and the world’s most venomous snakes have a huge role in research and saving lives.

Brazil experiences between 27,000 and 30,000 snake bites per year, with an average of 100 resulting in death, and research conducted on the island by Butantan Institute and IMCBio scientists is essential to helping create antivenom.

But lanceheads are important for more than just antivenom. Their venom is also an ingredient in blood pressure medication, which helps millions of people worldwide.

Some scientists even believe the venom could be ‘the source of future wonder drugs’.

So, it’s no surprise that the estimated 2,000 – 4,000 lancehead snakes on the island are being protected at all costs.

The rest of the snake species on the island aren’t all poisonous, including the Sauvage’s snail-eater, which is non-venomous.

In total, there are an estimated 430,000 snakes slithering around, meaning if you were to ever visit, that’s one snake per square metre (10.8 square feet) you would have to navigate.

There are also 41 recorded bird species on the island, including the southern house wren and the Chilean elaenia, a species of flycatcher.

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