A non-venomous gopher snake arrived in Kaunakakai after traveling in a shipping container sent from California. 

Employees at a hardware store in Kaunakakai found the snake while unloading the shipping container on Tuesday morning and called the local police, according to a news release from the Hawaii Department of Agriculture.  

Police officers arrived at the scene with a pellet gun and shot the 20-inches long snake.

Staff from the Hawaii Department of Agriculture and Molokai Invasive Species Committee searched the two pallets where the snake was found and did not find any other evidence of snakes. They also searched the hardware store’s warehouse, surrounding area, and three other Molokai hardware stores and did not find any evidence of snakes. 

Gopher snakes are endemic to North America and can grow up to seven feet. The gopher snake eats small rodents, young rabbits, lizards, birds and their eggs. The snake kills its prey by construction and suffocation. In Hawaii, snakes are illegal to possess and have no natural predators. The Hawaii Department of Agriculture warns snakes pose a serious threat to Hawaii’s ecosystem.