Four Foot Ball Python Snake Captured in Hilo

PC: Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture

A four-foot long live ball python snake was captured in Hilo early Monday morning by an American Medical Response ambulance crew.

The snake, which weighed about 3 pounds, was found near the Old Airport Road and was taken to Hawaiʻi County police. The police then contacted a plant quarantine inspector with the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture.

The snake is currently being safeguarded at the Hilo Plant Quarantine Office. Staff at the Panaʻewa Rainforest Zoo determined that the snake is a sexually immature female ball python.

State officials say that on June 27, 2020 HDOA inspectors were informed of a Facebook post with a photo of a snake in that area. Quarantine inspectors conducted nightly searches through last week and also deployed traps, but were not able to find the snake. Department officials say the captured snake appears to be consistent with the photo that was posted on Facebook.

Other past incidents include the following:

• In Oct. 2019, a 3-foot-long ball python was captured by a resident who ran over it near the same area.
• In June 2018, a 4 ½-foot-long ball python was found at the South Hilo Sanitary Landfill by county workers.

Ball pythons are non-venomous and may grow up to six feet in length. They are common in the pet trade on the mainland and are native to Western and West-Central Africa. Ball pythons are constrictors that subdue prey by coiling around and suffocating it. Its diet usually consists of small mammals and birds.

Snakes have no natural predators in Hawaiʻi and pose a serious threat to Hawaiʻi’s environment because they compete with native animal populations for food and habitat. Many species, such as the ball python, prey on birds and bird eggs, increasing the threat to our endangered native bird species. Large snakes may also be a threat to the health and safety of humans, pets and other domestic animals.

Snakes are illegal to import and/or possess in Hawaiʻi. Individuals who have illegal animals are encouraged to turn them in under the amnesty program.. If illegal animals are turned in prior to the start of an investigation, no criminal charges or civil penalties will be pursued. Any illegal animal may be dropped off at any HDOA Office, local Humane Society or at municipal zoos. Animals turned in under amnesty will not be euthanized.

Individuals possessing illegal animals may be charged with a class C felony, issued fines of up to $200,000, and may be sentenced to up to five years in prison. Anyone with information on illegal animals should call the State’s toll-free PEST HOTLINE at 643-PEST (7378).