A snake measuring about 6 feet was in a Big Island neighborhood on Friday, the Hawaii Department of Agriculture announced today.

A Keaau resident called Hawaii County police at about 2:15 p.m. and reported that there was a snake in his garage. Police and the Hawaii Island Human Society captured the snake and the Department of Land and Natural Resources transported the snake to the Hilo office of the agriculture department.
The snake was sent to the plant quarantine branch in Honolulu where it was identified as a boa constrictor.
Boa constrictors are nonvenomous and are native to Central and South America. They can grow up to 12 feet in length and have a normal diet of small mammals such as mice and rats. Snakes have no natural predators in Hawaii and pose a serious threat to the environment. Many species also prey on birds and their eggs, increasing the threat to endangered native birds. Large snakes can also be a danger to the public and small pets.
People who have illegal animals can turn them in under the state’s amnesty program, which provides immunity from prosecution. Illegal animals can also be turned in at any agriculture department office, the Honolulu Zoo or any Humane Society with no questions asked or fines assessed.
Anyone with information on illegal animals can call the Pest Hotline at 643-7378.