Slippery surprise caught in Christmas tree shipment

HONOLULU (KHNL/KGMB/Gray News ) – Employees at a store in Hawaii made an unexpected discovery while unloading a shipment of Christmas trees over the weekend.

Workers at the undisclosed store in Hilo, Hawaii, were halfway through unloading the container Saturday morning when they found a 2-foot-long gopher snake.

The team immediately closed the container and contacted the Hawaii Department of Agriculture. Inspectors from Hilo’s Plant Quarantine Branch responded and captured the snake.

“Although plant quarantine inspectors open every container of Christmas trees and wreaths that arrive and conduct an inspection, we do not have the resources to inspect every item in every container,” said Sharon Hurd, president of the Hawaii Department of Agriculture. “We appreciate the quick containment of the snake by the store staff and the quick response of the Hilo staff.”

The state says gopher snakes are nonvenomous and kill prey by constriction and suffocation. Their diet consists of rodents, young rabbits, lizards, birds and their eggs. They pose a significant threat to Hawaii’s ecosystem and native birds, as the snakes have no natural predators in the islands.

The rest of the container was checked and state officials said no other snakes were found.

Before being transported to Oahu, the snake is protected in Hilo.

Agriculture officials expect 135 containers of Christmas trees and wreaths to arrive in Hawaii this season. So far, about 88 have arrived, containing just under 46,500 trees, the state said. Last year, there were 120 containers that arrived with approximately 59,400 trees.

Anyone with information about illegal animals should call the statewide toll-free PEST HOTLINE at 808-643-PEST (7378).