Snake stows away in bag for trip to Hawaii from Florida

HONOLULU -- A snake stowed away in a man's bag and remained undetected until it completed the trip from Florida to Hawaii, officials said. The southern black racer snake slithered out of the man's backpack when he arrived on Maui. Snakes have no natural predators in Hawaii and pose a threat to Hawaii's native species. The 20-year-old Virginia man was not aware of the animal until it emerged after he arrived at a vacation rental property in the community of Pukalani, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said. The non-venomous snake measured about a foot long. The property owner told the visitor that snakes are illegal in Hawaii and alerted police, who captured the snake along with state Department of Land and Natural Resources personnel.