Maybe you’ve heard it before: “It’s amazing! There are NO snakes in Hawaii!”
Sadly, that’s one rumor that just isn’t true – but it’s not for lack of trying.
It’s illegal to own a pet snake in Hawaii, but that doesn’t mean it never happens. Because snakes are not native to Hawaii, they present an alarming risk to the fragile Hawaiian environment if introduced. Snakes have no natural predators in Hawaii. They could wreak havoc on other wildlife populations if they were ever allowed into the ecosystem. People caught with pet snakes in Hawaii face up to 3 years in jail and $200,000 in fines.
Though large predatory snakes exist almost exclusively in Hawaii's zoos, sometimes they are found elsewhere.
Unfortunately, people do smuggle snakes into Hawaii as pets, then get bored of them and release them into the wild. In January of 2016, workers found a 2-foot snake near Honolulu Airport. There were also a couple of snakes captured in July 2011. Namely, a 9-foot boa constrictor and 7-foot albino Burmese python.
There is also some concern about ships coming from Guam, which has a brown tree snake infestation problem. However, thanks to special measures enacted in Hawaii, only one brown tree snake has ever been caught in Hawaii since 1994.
There IS a snake in Hawaii.
The nonvenomous, burrowing blind snake is often mistaken as an earthworm. They can be found in Hawaii but pose no threat to humans or the environment. BPhoto by Davidvraju
There is one snake that does live in Hawaii, likely an import from the Philippines: the Island Blind Snake. This snake is harmless and so small that it is often mistaken for an earthworm.
In general, it is safe to say that the chances of you coming across a snake on your Hawaii vacation are pretty much zero. Hawaii is very serious about its “no snakes” policies – so unless you’re visiting the Honolulu zoo, all signs point to your Hawaii vacation being totally snake-free.
Read about what the DLNR (Department of Land and Natural Resources) is doing to protect Hawaii against snakes: Link