Ball python found in Kahaluu turned in to Honolulu Zoo
Jan. 13—A live ball python reportedly found in Kahaluu was turned into the Honolulu Zoo Wednesday afternoon, the state Department of Agriculture has reported.
The agricultural department in a news release today said that the non-venomous snake was dropped off by a person who requested to remain anonymous.
Agricultural inspectors from the Plant Quarantine Branch were dispatched and took custody of the snake.
It was measured to be 28 inches long.
Snakes are illegal to transport and possess in Hawaii. The ball python was turned in under the Amnesty Program, which allows illegal animals to be turned in to any DOA office, municipal zoo or aquarium or the the Hawaiian Humane Society without the assessment of criminal charges or fines.
"The State offers amnesty for the voluntary surrender of illegal animals because we do not want these animals set free in the wild," said Sharon Hurd, chair of the state's Board of Agriculture, in a statement. "Surrendered animals will not be euthanized and may eventually be relocated to an appropriate facility on the mainland."
Ball pythons are native to Western and West-Central Africa, can grow up to 6 feet long and are common in the pet trade. Snakes have no natural predators in Hawaii and pose a threat to its ecosystem, as they compete with native animals for food and habitat. They also prey on birds and their eggs.
