Department of Agriculture

Corn Snake Turned in on Maui

Kahului – A two-and-a-half-foot live corn snake was turned in this morning to the Maui Humane Society after it was found over the weekend by a youth in the Peahi area, near Haiku on Maui. Inspectors from the Hawaii Department of Agriculture took custody of the snake, which will be transported tomorrow to the Plant Quarantine Branch on Oahu.

Although illegal in Hawaii, corn snakes are common in much of the mainland United States and northern Mexico. These nonvenomous snakes can grow more than six feet long with a normal diet of small mammals (mice and rats) and poultry (birds and their nestlings).

Persons possessing illegal animals are subject to stiff penalties, including fines of up to $200,000 and up to three years in jail. Individuals with illegal pets are encouraged to turn them in under the department’s Amnesty Program. Anyone with information or knowledge of illegal animals in Hawaii is asked to call the department’s PEST HOTLINE at 586-PEST(7378).

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