GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Lisa Yasunaga of the state Agriculture Department displayed a rosy boa yesterday that was turned in on Kauai.
A Honolulu animal specialist identified a 1 1/2-foot-long snake that was turned in to the Kauai Humane Society as a rosy boa. Expert IDs
illegal Kauai snakeBy Rosemarie Bernardo
rbernardo@starbulletin.comThe snake was shipped to Honolulu on Monday after someone dropped it off to the Kauai Humane Society on Sunday.
The rosy boa, or Lichanura trivirgata, is a powerful constrictor that preys on small mammals and birds.
"If it ever got out here, it would pose a serious threat to our native Hawaiian birds," said Lisa Yasunaga, land vertebrate animal specialist for the state Department of Agriculture.
The snake is native to the desert, brushlands and foothills of California, Arizona and Mexico, according to the department. It is pink, rose or reddish-brown with stripes along its body and can grow up to 4-feet long.
The rosy boa was turned into the Kauai Humane Society under the amnesty program. It is believed to be the first of its species to be reported in Hawaii, said Yasunaga. The snake will be held at the plant quarantine branch until it is sent to the mainland.
Snakes are illegal to possess in Hawaii.
Anyone caught with illegal animals faces penalties of up to three years in jail and up to a $200,000 fine. Individuals with illegal pets are encouraged to voluntarily turn them in under the department's amnesty program.
Anyone with information on illegal animals in Hawaii is asked to call the state Department of Agriculture's PEST Hotline at 586-PEST (7378).
State Department of Agriculture
