PRECIOUS PARADISE PROTECTING BIODIVERSITY FROM INVASIVE SPECIES WORDS COCO ZICKOS
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nakes sometimes slither their way to the Hawaiian Islands. They slip through the cracks and arrive as refugees on aircraft and vessels. Or, more likely, they are illegally smuggled as pets and accidentally escape, such as a 5-foot-long boa constrictor recently discovered on Oÿahu. Still, even if you suffer from ophidiophobia, a profound fear of snakes, there’s little cause for worry, as it’s highly unlikely you’ll come across any while you’re visiting any of the Hawaiian Islands. That’s because snakes are an invasive species and serious efforts and regulations are in place to mitigate their arrival in the state. The maximum penalty for bringing a snake to Hawai‘i is a Class C felony, $200,000 fine and up to three years in prison. The reason for these stringent penalties is because snakes have no natural predators in Hawai‘i and they pose a serious threat to the Islands’ rich and unique biodiversity, including endangered endemic birds. Knowing this information, you might be surprised to learn that the Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA) plans to deliberately import four sterile male brown tree snakes to the Big Island. The reason, however, is due to efforts to prevent Hawaiÿi from suffering the same unfortunate fate as Guam. Scientists estimate that some 1 to 2 million brown snakes have taken over Guam, thereby diminishing its native species and inflicting a toll on its natural ecosystem. The snakes are predicted to have originally arrived via military aircraft and cargo during the 1950s. “The brown tree snake on Guam has caused the extinction of multiple bird species and has forever changed the balance of Guam’s ecosystems,” says Dr. Joshua Atwood, the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources’ (DLNR) Invasive Species Coordinator. 98
BIG ISLAND TRAVELER
