A dwell snake was present in a delivery container on Molokai the morning of Jan. 8, whereas it was being unloaded at a ironmongery store in Kaunakakai. Maui County Police on Molokai had been referred to as to the ironmongery store shortly after 8 a.m. Arriving officers shot and killed the snake with a pellet gun. The snake measured about 20-inches lengthy and has been recognized as a non-venomous gopher snake.
Staff from the Molokai Invasive Species Committee (MoMISC) held the lifeless snake on the ironmongery store till Maui Plant Quarantine Branch inspectors from the Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA) arrived on the island simply earlier than midday. The container had been shipped from California to Molokai.
HDOA inspectors and MoMISC workers carried out an intensive search of the 2 pallets the place the snake was discovered and didn’t discover any extra snakes or any proof of snakes. They additionally searched the warehouse, surrounding space, and three different Molokai {hardware} shops and didn’t discover proof of snakes.
Gopher snakes are present in North America and might develop as much as about seven ft. Its weight loss program consists of small rodents, young rabbits, lizards, birds and their eggs. Prey is killed by constriction and suffocation. In Hawaii, snakes are unlawful to own, don’t have any pure predators, and pose a critical risk to Hawaii’s distinctive ecosystem as they compete with native animal populations for meals and habitat.
Anyone with details about unlawful animals ought to name the statewide toll-free Pest Hotline at (808) 643-PEST. The most penalty underneath state regulation for possession and/or transporting unlawful animals, a Class C felony, is a $200,000 tremendous and as much as three years in jail. Sightings or captures of unlawful animals or invasive species must also be reported to the hotline.
