Small snake caught slithering away from visitor’s backpack
A small snake that apparently hitchhiked in a vacationer’s backpack was captured in a vacation rental in Pukalani on Monday, the state Department of Agriculture said Wednesday.
The footlong, ™-inch diameter snake was determined to be a nonvenomous southern black racer (Coluber constrictor priapus). These snakes are found mainly in Florida and the eastern U.S. and may grow up to 6 feet long, the Agriculture Department said.
The snake’s diet consists of mainly frogs, lizards, snakes, rodents and birds and their eggs.
The snake was seen slithering out of a newly arrived visitor’s backpack Monday evening. The owner of the rental told the visitor and others staying in the rental that bringing snakes into Hawaii is illegal, the Agriculture Department said.
Together, they cornered and captured the snake, called police and held it in a cup until police arrived, said Janelle Saneishi, public information officer of the Agriculture Department, on Wednesday.
The police contacted Fern Duvall, program manager of the Native Ecosystem Protection Management — Maui Nui program of the Department of Land and Natural Resources, who responded to the unit with police and helped to detain the snake overnight.
The snake was delivered to the Agriculture Department quarantine center at Kahului Airport early Tuesday morning and was being safely held there until it can be transported to Honolulu. Saneishi was not sure when the transport would take place.
After arriving on Oahu, the snake will be held by the Agriculture De
partment for “educational purposes,” Saneishi said. The Honolulu Zoo currently has its quota of two male snakes so it won’t go there.
She said that the Agriculture Department periodically sends batches of illegal animals back to the Mainland to sanctuaries. The department is not allowed to hand animals over to individuals.
Duvall determined the type of snake it was in consultation with an expert on the Mainland. He believes the snake was a newborn, recently hatched from an egg.
Agriculture Department Plant Quarantine inspectors interviewed the visitor and the property owner Tuesday morning, and it appears the snake was a stowaway and not purposely transported to Hawaii, the Agriculture Department said. The visitor, a 20-year-old man from Virginia, had just arrived Monday night from Florida and had put his backpack on the floor in the rental when the snake slithered out.
“It is fortunate that the owner of the rental was aware of the seriousness of the snake being transported to Hawaii and took appropriate action and reported it,” said Phyllis Shimabukuro-Geiser, chairwoman of the state Board of Agriculture. “Visitors to our islands may not fully understand the threat that snakes pose to our community and our unique environment. It takes all of us to protect Hawaii.”
Snakes have no natural predators in Hawaii and pose a serious threat to Hawaii’s environment. Many species prey on birds and their eggs, increasing the threat to endangered native birds. Venomous and large snakes are also a danger to humans, pets and other animals, the Agriculture Department said.
“Be informed about the very special place you live that is Hawaii,” said Duvall. “We should pay attention to what plants and animals we see, report things you feel are new to you as prevention is so much more important than having to react to established foreign pests out of control.”
Individuals who see or know of illegal animals in Hawaii are encouraged to contact the state’s toll-free pest hotline at 643-PEST (7378) or turn them in under the state’s amnesty program.
The maximum penalty under state law for possession and/or knowingly transporting illegal animals is a Class C felony, $200,000 fine and up to three years in prison.