HDOA NEWS RELEASE: Snake found in Kunia
Posted on Mar 12, 2019 in Latest Department News
HONOLULU – A five-foot-long boa constrictor was turned in to the Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA) on Saturday, March 9th. A Kunia farmworker said he saw the snake near bushes along Kunia Road on Friday afternoon and he and his nephew captured it and held it overnight in a trash can. The next morning, he brought the snake to HDOA’s Plant Quarantine Office at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport where it was safeguarded.
Boa constrictors are non-venomous and are native to Central and South America. They can grow up to 12 feet in length and have a normal diet of small mammals such as mice and rats. Snakes have no natural predators in Hawaii and pose a serious threat to Hawaii’s environment. Many species also prey on birds and their eggs, increasing the threat to endangered native birds. Large snakes can also be a danger to the public and small pets.
Individuals who have illegal animals are encouraged to turn them in under the State’s amnesty program, which provides immunity from prosecution. Illegal animals may be turned in to any HDOA Office, Honolulu Zoo or any Humane Society – no questions asked and no fines assessed. Anyone with information on illegal animals should call the PEST HOTLINE at 643-PEST (7378).
###
Attachments: Photos of snake
Media Contact:
Janelle Saneishi, Public Information Officer
Hawaii Department of Agriculture
808.973.9560 email: [email protected]