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HAWAII DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
A jogger came across this dead boa constrictor Friday morning along Kuhio Highway in Haena, Kauai.
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State agriculture inspectors recovered the body of a 5-foot boa constrictor Friday in Haena, Kauai, the Department of Agriculture said.
The dead snake was found by a jogger along Kuhio Highway in a preserve for endangered native birds and other species, the department said in a news release.
The gender of the snake and its cause of death were unknown. The snake’s body will be taken to Honolulu, where it will be examined and cataloged by a zoologist at the Bishop Museum.
Boa constrictors are nonvenomous and native to Central and South America. They can grow to 12 feet long and feed on small mammals such as mice and rats.
Snakes are illegal in Hawaii, and possession of such animals can lead to fines of up to $200,000 and imprisonment for up to three years.
Anyone with information on illegal animals should call the state’s pest hotline at 643-PEST.
Illegal animals can be turned in under the state’s amnesty program, which provides immunity from prosecution.