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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Wednesday, January 8, 2003

State takes custody of desert boa constrictor

By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer

A nonvenomous but illegal rosy boa snake was turned in Sunday to the Kaua'i Humane Society.

Lisa Yasunaga of the state Agriculture Department holds the 1 1/2-foot rosy boa, which is of the species Lichanura trivirgata.

Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

The 1 1/2-foot-long snake was then picked up by an inspector with the state Department of Agriculture and brought to O'ahu. The snake was identified as a rosy boa, which is native to the desert, brushlands and foothills of California, Arizona and Mexico.

Rosy boas are pink, rose or reddish-brown, with stripes down the length of their bodies. The species can grow up to 4 feet and is a powerful constrictor, an agricultural official said.

The snake preys on small mammals and birds.

The possession of snakes is illegal in Hawai'i; anyone caught with one is subject to a fine of up to $200,000 and three years in prison.

The rosy boa on Kaua'i was turned in under the state's amnesty program, which offers immunity from prosecution if anyone voluntarily surrenders an illegal animal.

Anyone with information on illegal animals is asked to call the department's pest hot line at 586-PEST (7378).