A roadside barbecue stand on Maui got a start last Saturday when the grill cook opened a bag of charcoal and found a dead snake on top of the briquettes. Roy Hanks was preparing huli huli chicken at Hana Hawaiian BBQ in Nahiku when he made the discovery. His wife and manager, Sharon Fillazar-Hanks, says she initially thought the photo he sent was a prank before realizing the snake was real.
The Maui Police Department and the Hawaii Department of Agriculture Quarantine Division were notified, and officials said the snake could be disposed of. According to the department’s public information officer, Jai Cunningham, the charcoal was packaged outside Hawaii, and the snake was likely killed during the packing process before hitching a ride in the bag. Officials believe it was probably a nonvenomous rat snake, though the species hasn’t been confirmed.
The episode is a small but vivid example of why Hawaii enforces strict biosecurity rules — invasive species have done serious damage to island ecosystems over the years, and stowaways often arrive in ordinary shipped goods. Here on the Suncoast, we understand the worry about uninvited species showing up unannounced; we deal with our own share of them. Have you ever opened a package and found something you did not expect? Share your story with us.
