A non-venomous gopher snake measuring about 20 inches long was found alive in a shipping container on Molokaʻi.
Employees at a hardware store in Kaunankakai were unloading the container from California when the snake was discovered.
Police arrived and killed the snake with a pellet gun.
Officials from the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture completed a thorough search of the container, warehouse, surrounding areas, and three other Molokaʻi hardware stores, but found no indication of additional snakes.
Gopher snakes are found in North America and can grow up to about seven feet. Its diet consists of small rodents, young rabbits, lizards, birds and their eggs. Prey is killed by constriction and suffocation.
In Hawaiʻi, snakes are illegal to possess, have no natural predators, and pose a serious threat to Hawaiʻi’s unique ecosystem as they compete with native animal populations for food and habitat.
Anyone with information about illegal animals can call the statewide toll-free hotline at 808-643-PEST (7378).
