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Uh ha uh ha uh ha! Prob some dam mainland hillbilly "Im going to do whatever i want to do itz me constitutional right" Me love snakes, the hell with anyone else.
I have to agree, throw them in the volcano or better yet, have the state government keep a huge boa in captivity and feed it with the dumb guys who get caught trafficking snakes.
Ahhhhh, Ellwood. You have just demonstrated one of the dangers of posting without reading the thread. Sometimes it is just painfully obvious that you haven't read the other posts, like this time.
In other news, besides the two kinds of snakes known to live in the wild in Hawai'i, there are are also a handful of idiots who think it is fun to smuggle snakes in and keep them, despite the fact that it is not only illegal, but an enormous risk to our fragile environment. I'll have to dig for the article, but I recall a story from the north end of the Big Island about someone being busted with an 11' python in their home when it got loose and they needed help to find it.
About 5 years ago a 6' boa constrictor was found, on the loose, hiding in a garage in Keaau. A while back a snake was found out for a stroll on the sidewalk in Honolulu's Chinatown. And only last year a "mildly venomous" tree snake was caught up at Pōhakuloa military base off Saddle Road, having apparently hitchhiked in from Guam on one of their planes. Can you imagine if one of these begun to reproduce in the wild, with no enemies or predators? You could just kiss all the birds in Hawai'i goodbye.
The current penalty for possession of a snake in Hawai'i, a Class C Felony, is up to $200,000 fine and up to 3 years in prison. I don't think that is nearly harsh enough, because the Invasive Animal team reports confiscating over 100 snakes since the year 2000. My suggestion is that anyone caught with a snake in Hawai'i should be hanged by their heels, suspended under a helicopter, flown over the volcano, and dropped in. And do it all on live TV. That level of stupidity deserves to be rewarded appropriately.
PS, thanks for the suggestion, JJ. Yes, doubling down does seem to work. I appreciate your vast experience in this arena.
After years spent in HI the "average" person will not experience seeing a snake in HI. Yes, there are idiots like you stated, however, the chances are very slim to come across one, as you would in many areas on the mainland. Some one who has a fear of snakes does not appreciate hearing the "few" cases as you stated.
The teensy ones were sometimes spotted where I lived in Ewa Beach. Aren't they sometimes called flower pot snakes? They are hardy bigger than worms. What creeped me out were the scorpions.
Found one of those when digging up a palm..... I'll admit it, I FREAKED.
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Yellow bellied see snake... isn't that the one where the venom is so deadly?
Yes, they are quite venomous, but fortunately they can't survive long on land. Having the widest global range of all snakes, and found throughout the Pacific, they live their whole life in the water. When they get tossed up on land by wind or waves they typically don't last long. You really only have to worry in the water, but honestly they're pretty rare. And even there, they eat fish, not mammals, so they are unlikely to show any interest in you.
Quote:
Originally Posted by hunterseat
The teensy ones were sometimes spotted where I lived in Ewa Beach. Aren't they sometimes called flower pot snakes? They are hardy bigger than worms.
Yep, that's them. Matter of fact, that's how they apparently spread to Hawai'i and move around, by taking up residence in flower pots, which then get transported to different places. They don't bite, and they look like big worms, and they are completely harmless, but they do freak some people out.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mikala43
Found one of those when digging up a palm..... I'll admit it, I FREAKED.
As I was saying.
Anyhoosits, the real worry factor, other than the idiots, is the stowaways. Reports of brown tree snakes from Guam being found on (and off!) military planes which have come from Guam have been on the rise. So far the military claims to have contained them all, but we've been lied to before, eh?
But even plain vanilla cargo containers can be a problem. Just the other day a 2' long gopher snake was killed in Kea'au after being discovered in a container that was being unloaded at a store there. It apparently hitched in from California,
If you look at the bottom of this article is a picture of a Hawaiian Blind Snake, AKA flowerpot snake, curled up in the palm of someone's hand. Clearly it's no threat, except to some people's nerves.
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