HANA – The three-week hunt for a possible brown tree snake slithered to a disappointing halt Thursday night as a crew of searchers once again came up empty-handed.
“To me, it’s scarier not finding it,” said Mele Fong of the Maui Invasive Species Committee (MISC). “Now what?”That’s the big unanswered question as the remaining 13 members of the team of federal, state and county workers began dismantling nearly two dozen traps and packing up other gear they had been using in nightly sweeps of a remote Hamoa pasture since two residents reported seeing a snake slide across the road when they were driving on the night of Aug. 10.
From descriptions provided, wildlife biologists determined that the creature could have been a brown tree snake, which has nearly wiped out the forest bird population of Guam and contributed to power outages. The Rapid Response Team was immediately activated. The threat was considered so serious that snake experts from Guam were brought in for guidance.
The hunt came to an end Thursday night because those experienced with such searches say that chances to find the snake after three weeks diminishes considerably.
“I feel really bad for Maui that we had to do it,” said state wildlife biologist Fern Duvall. “The pep talk was always telling everybody how serious the work is that we’re doing.”
From 7:45 p.m. to 11:45 p.m. daily, Duvall and a rotating crew would don their headlamps, take up their snake grabbers and patrol a 200-meter radius from where the snake was sighted. It was not an easy task, trekking in the dark through the rolling overgrown pasture with trees, bushes and underbrush.
“There was rain, centipedes, loose rocks, pointed sticks,” said Duvall. “It’s a very difficult situation. You can’t oversee what’s out there. You’re just trying the best you can and that’s all you can do.”
Baited traps had been set not only in hopes of catching the snake, but also by snaring rats or mice that would reduce the food source and, ideally, coax the hungry snake into the trap. Unfortunately, the traps only came up with food – no snake.
A sign was posted at the location with information about the possible sighting. Posters remain posted around Hana asking people to be on the alert and to contact authorities if they see anything. Call 573-MISC (6472).
Fong said it’s now up to the community – and luck.
“It’s going to take that collective effort as it does for all invasive species,” said Fong. “Who knows if it survived and if it’s still slithering around. It could have gone anywhere by now.”
Duvall said he was still following up on a couple of matters relating to how a brown tree snake could have gotten to remote Hana in the first place.
If another sighting is reported, the hunt would resume, he added.
Fong hoped that the unsuccessful search would provide some crucial reminders to Mauians.
“It brings more attention on how we need to protect our borders,” she said.
Valerie Monson can be reached at vmonson@mauinews.com.
