Hawaii officers kill snake found in shipping container

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - A snake was found Monday morning in a shipping container that arrived on Molokai, the state Department of Agriculture said.

Officials said the 20-inch long gopher snake was discovered in a shipping container from California during unloading at a hardware store in Kaunankakai.

Police were called to the store shortly after 8 a.m. where officers shot the snake with a pellet gun, killing it. Officials said the snake is non-venomous.

Staff from the Molokai Invasive Species Committee held the dead snake at the hardware store until Maui Plant Quarantine Branch inspectors from the Hawaii Department of Agriculture arrived on the island just before 12 p.m.

HDOA inspectors and MoMISC staff searched the two pallets where the snake was found and said they did not find any more snakes or any evidence of snakes. They also searched the warehouse, surrounding area, and three other Molokai hardware stores and did not find evidence of snakes.

Officials said gopher snakes are found in North America and can grow up to about seven feet. It’s diet consists of small rodents, young rabbits, lizards, birds and their eggs. Prey is killed by constriction and suffocation.

In Hawaii, snakes are illegal to possess. They have no natural predators and pose a serious threat to Hawaii’s unique ecosystem as they compete with native animal populations for food and habitat.

Anyone with information about illegal animals should call the statewide toll-free pest hotline at 808-643-PEST (7378).

The maximum penalty under state law for possession and/or transporting illegal animals, a Class C felony, is a $200,000 fine and up to three years in prison. Sightings or captures of illegal animals or invasive species should also be reported to the hotline.