The snake, identified as a boa constrictor was first seen by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents, crawling on the deck of the ship that was enroute to Honolulu Harbor.
An approximately 19-inch snake was captured on a cargo ship in Honolulu Harbor last weekend. The snake, identified as a boa constrictor was first seen by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents, crawling on the deck of the ship that was enroute to Honolulu Harbor.
Inspectors with the Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture (HDOA) Quarantine branch boarded the ship at the harbor and were able to capture the boa, which appears to be a juvenile. This is the second snake found in Hawaii in the last several months. In May, a female gopher snake was captured on Maui by the HDOA. That snake was euthanized.
In July 2022, a juvenile gopher snake measuring about 21 inches in length was found in a Kapolei Home Depot on the island of O’ahu. In 2016, a ball python was found on a Maui Hawaii coffee farm. That snake was euthanized due to the poor condition in which it was found. And in 2018, a 5-foot ball python was found near a landfill on the Big Island.
Boa constrictors grow to about 8 to 10 feet. Photo by Alex Baranska/Shutterstock
In 2011, pig hunters on O’ahu captured a nine-foot boa constrictor near the Halawa Correctional facility in Halawa Valley, and in September 2015, a 2 ½-foot-long ball python was captured in a garage in Pearl City, also on the island of O’ahu.
Most reptiles in Hawaii are non-native, introduced species. The possession and transportation of snakes is illegal in Hawaii and is a class c felony, but the fine, upwards of $200,000, 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. Nobody has yet paid the fine. Hawaii residents who have seen or have any information on animals that are illegal to keep in then state can call the state’s toll free post hotline at (808) 643-PEST (7378).
Boa constrictor information
Boa constrictors are popular snakes with reptile keepers. There are a variety of boas, from boa constrictors to sand boas to the hog island boas. They also vary in size, with boa constrictors (Boa constrictor) growing to about 10 feet in length, and hog island boas growing much smaller, to about five to six feet in length.
