Last Saturday, in a bizarre nightmare for holiday shoppers, a live snake was discovered amidst Christmas trees at a Hilo store. While unloading a cargo of festive evergreens, workers came across the reptilian stowaway, a non-venomous gopher snake that was two feet long. After taking immediate action to control the situation, the store staff contacted the Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA), who dispatched inspectors to safely apprehend the burglar.
The inspectors, who were from Hilo’s Plant Quarantine Branch (PQB), went on and checked the inside of the container and each Christmas tree in detail, though not all of them. The fact that no additional snakes had surreptitiously hitched a ride was verified by their attempts. “Although Plant Quarantine inspectors open every container of Christmas trees and wreaths that arrive and conduct an inspection, we do not have the resources to inspect every item in each container,” the HDOA official report stated, indicating that HDOA chairperson Sharon Hurd recognized the limitations of their authority. Hurd commended the Hilo PQB team and retail employees for their timely responses.
The gopher snake is still being held in Hilo but will be brought to Honolulu, according to the same government report. These snakes, which are native to North America and may reach a maximum length of seven feet, could be dangerous in Hawaii because there are no natural predators for them, which could affect local species and ecosystems.
Usually feeding on a variety of small animals, gopher snakes use constriction to weaken their prey. Because invasive species like this one have the potential to seriously disturb local ecosystems, the HDOA is on high alert. In addition to the 88 containers and over 46,450 trees that have already arrived in Hawaii this year, the PQB anticipates an additional 135 containers of Christmas trees and wreaths this season. Hurd stated, “We appreciate the store staff’s quick containment of the snake and our Hilo staff’s quick response,” according to an HDOA statement.
The HDOA invites anyone in Hawai’i who sees an illegal animal or perhaps an invasive species to report it by calling their statewide toll-free PEST HOTLINE at 808-643-PEST (7378). Protecting the Hawaiian Islands’ distinctive and delicate ecosystems from dangers like the unintentionally imported gopher snake requires constant attention to detail and prompt communication.
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