(Photo courtesy of Department of Agriculture)
MEDIA RELEASE
A family staying at a Kona vacation condo unit found a 16-inch-long snake on Tuesday, June 25, 2013 and turned it over to security on the property.
Authorities identified the black, orange and yellow-colored reptile as a garter snake. It is possible that the snake hitchhiked on the luggage of the family, which had just arrived that evening at the condo.
The snake was safeguarded at the Hilo Plant Quarantine Office and transported July 2 to Honolulu. It will be kept for educational purposes.
Garter snakes are native to North America and Central America. Their diet consists of small prey, such as lizards, worms, insects and amphibians.
Their bite may release a mild neurotoxin, which is not lethal to humans.
Snakes are illegal in Hawaii. 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).
(Photo courtesy of Department of Agriculture)
Garter snakes are harmless in their appropriate environment. As a child
I caught and handled these snakes with relative impunity .. always
letting them out back into the wild. Of course in the wrong environment
they can be a problem. I live in California now, which does have some
garter snakes, but I also lived in Colorado where this snake is
extremely common. I hope you find the snake a nice home.
They
are remarkably docile. They almost never bite. I understood that they
can be fed goldfish in captivity, but I suspect they’ll eat almost any
(very) small prey.