Boa Constrictor Found on O‘ahu

Boa constrictor found in Kunia on O‘ahu, March 9, 2019. PC: Hawai‘i DOA

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

A farmworker saw the snake near bushes along Kunia Road on Friday afternoon. He said he and his nephew captured it and held it overnight in a trash can.

Boa constrictor found in Kunia on O‘ahu, March 9, 2019. PC: Hawai‘i DOA

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. They can grow up to 12 feet in length and have a normal diet of small mammals such as mice and rats. Snakes have no natural predators in Hawai‘i and pose a serious threat to the state’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.

Boa constrictor found in Kunia on O‘ahu, March 9, 2019. PC: Hawai‘i DOA

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).