Invasive Snake, 5-Foot Boa Constrictor Found in Kunia

A five-foot-long boa constrictor was turned in to the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture on Saturday, March 9, 2019.

A Kunia farmworker said he saw the snake near bushes along Kunia Road on Friday afternoon and he and his nephew captured it and held it overnight in a trash can. The next morning, he brought the snake to HDOA’s Plant Quarantine Office at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport where it was safeguarded.

Boa constrictors are non-venomous and are native to Central and South America. State agricultural officials say they can grow up to 12 feet in length and have a normal diet of small mammals such as mice and rats. Agricultural officials say snakes have no natural predators in Hawaiʻi and pose a serious threat to Hawaiʻi’s environment. Many species also prey on birds and their eggs, increasing the threat to endangered native birds. Large snakes can also be a danger to the public and small pets.

Individuals who have illegal animals are encouraged to turn them in under the State’s amnesty program, which provides immunity from prosecution. Illegal animals may be turned in to any HDOA Office, Honolulu Zoo or any Humane Society – no questions asked and no fines assessed. Anyone with information on illegal animals should call the PEST HOTLINE at 643-PEST (7378).

A five-foot-long boa constrictor was turned in to the Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA) on Saturday, March 9th. Photo: Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture

A five-foot-long boa constrictor was turned in to the Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA) on Saturday, March 9th. Photo: Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture

A five-foot-long boa constrictor was turned in to the Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA) on Saturday, March 9th. Photo: Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture