There are no native snakes in Hawaii and it is illegal to keep them as pets.
A 2 ½-foot-long ball python was captured in a garage in Pearl City, HI after the resident of the house called police to report the snake, Hawaii News Now reports. The police then called the Hawaiian Department of Agriculture which sent inspectors to retrieve the snake after police captured it. This may not seem like a big deal to those on the mainland, but there are no native snakes (except sea snakes) in Hawaii and it is illegal to keep them as pets.
The possession and transportation of snakes is illegal in Hawaii and is a class c felony, but that hasn't stopped some folks from bringing them in as pets. The state has an amnesty program that enables anyone in possession of snakes, large lizards and other species that are illegal to own in the state, to turn them into any Hawaiian Department of Agriculture (HDOA) office, the Honolulu Zoo, Panaewa Zoo in Hilo or any Humane Society. Those convicted of possessing or transporting illegal animals are subject to a $200,000 fine and up to three years in prison.
Police are searching for its owner. The snake will be sent to the mainland where it will be rehomed.
This isn’t the first time a snake has been captured in Hawaii, and probably not the last. In 2011, a nine-foot boa constrictor was captured by pig hunters near the Halawa Correctional facility on O’ahu, and in 2013, a five-foot boa constrictor was ran over by a car on the Pali Highway that connects town to the Windward side of O’ahu.
Hawaii is home to several invasive species of lizards, including the Jackson's chameleon and the giant day gecko, among others. In fact, most lizards and amphibians in Hawaii are introduced species. If you visit Hawaii though you can still go herping.
