Store staff discovers 2-foot holiday hitchhiker slithering among Christmas tree shipment on Big Island

Whiskers on kittens, cream-colored ponies and wild geese — Hawaiian nēnē in the islands — that fly with the moon on their wings, could certainly be some of people’s favorite things.

Beady-eyed snakes slithering around your Christmas tree were not on the list of “My Favorite Things,”  which is now a popular carol during the holidays, sung about in the musical “The Sound of Music.”

So imagine the surprise when discovering one — especially in Hawai’i, where there are no native snake species and it is illegal to own a pet snake or bring a snake to the islands — while you’re clearing out a container of live Christmas trees.

A live 2-foot gopher snake was found the morning of Nov. 16 in a container of live Christmas trees at a business in Hilo on the Big Island as it was being unloaded by the store’s staff.

About half the container was cleared out before the slithery holiday hitchhiker was spotted.

The store’s staff called the Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture and quarantined the snake in the container until inspectors from the state Ag Department’s Plant Quarantine Branch in Hilo responded and captured the non-venomous reptile.

Inspectors also checked every Christmas tree and the inside of the container for any other special seasons greeters.

No other snakes were found.

“Although [Plant Quarantine Branch] 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 each container,” said Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture Chairwoman Sharon Hurd. “We appreciate the store staff’s quick containment of the snake and our Hilo staff’s quick response.”

The snake is being safeguarded in Hilo and will be transported to Honolulu.

Gopher snakes are found in North America and can grow up to about 7 feet long.

Their diet consists of small rodents, young rabbits, lizards, birds and their eggs. The reptiles kill their prey by constriction and suffocation.

Snakes and large reptiles have no natural predators in Hawai‘i.

Many species prey on birds and their eggs, increasing the threat to endangered native birds of the islands. They also compete with native animals for food and habitat.

Large snakes might event threaten humans and small pets.

Anyone with information about illegal animals should call the statewide Pest Hotline at 808-643-PEST (7378).

The Plant Quarantine Branch expects an estimated 135 containers of live Christmas trees and wreaths to arrive in Hawai‘i this year for the holidays, which would be an increase from 2023.

About 88 containers have arrived so far, containing about 46,450 trees.

A total of 120 containers of the festive firs made their way to the islands last year, bringing with them about 59,400 trees.