Snakes and Hawaii
I have heard it said that there are no snakes in Hawaii.
Since I do not like snakes, Hawaii could very well be the paradise it is called
just for that reason alone. I am not sure why some people bring their snakes
into my Hawaiian shirt store. They have them wrapped around their arms,
shoulders and neck like a living, breathing scarf. I never knew so many people
owned snakes before we moved into our downtown Escondido location that is
around the corner and a few doors down from a reptile house. I have seen some huge ugly lizards, many
types of snakes, all sorts of bug eyed lizards, chameleons etc and one guy even
walks some type of baby dragon on a leash. They all prance around with their
reptiles like they are so proud of them.
You would think they would have the common sense not to bring them into
my store but OH NO they come right on in to show me their scaly pets.
One day I had an elderly lady looking over some of our
colorful muumuus and I was helping her find her size. I remember the customer
coming into the store and said “Hi let me know if you need any help” I glanced
his way and smiled but then turned back to speak to the lady I was helping. I
found a couple of muumuus in her size and was halfway to the dressing room to
hang them up when she started screaming her head off. She had one hand around
her throat and was pointing in the direction of the guy who was the only other
customer in the store.
At this point I am thinking he must have a gun he is going
to rob us but even worse than that was when I turned to look at him I saw that
he had a huge snake wrapped around his neck that snake was so long it hung down
his back to the backs of his knees and was wrapped around his neck and down his
arm and he was holding the head with his hand. I am thinking 8 feet for sure
and of course those beady black eyes were looking right at us.
I guess you can tell my level of comfort with snakes
considering I thought a snake was worse than having a gun wielding robber in my
store, so during this commotion the man was slowly backing away from us trying
to reassure us his snake was harmless. While my customer was doing some kind of
weird dance and hiding behind me while holding onto me I yelled “Get that snake
out of here now!” That man took off down the street and I have not seen him or
his pet since then.
Really owners of large reptiles need to have their heads
examined in my opinion. Don’t they watch all those shows that end up with the
big snake overpowering the owner and killing them or the shows where snakes get
out of the enclosures and kill children in the house? Can’t blame the snake,
that’s what they do, they wrap around you and try to eat you.
So I am now curious how they can claim there are no snakes
in Hawaii, are you telling me that not one snake lover has ever slipped a snake
in a suitcase on board a plane? So my
question to the readers of this blog is…. Is it true there are no snakes on the
islands? Let me know if you have ever seen or heard about encounters with
snakes in the lush vegetation they have over there. I did notice when I visited the island of
Oahu there were a lot of mongooses over there perhaps that is why there are no
snakes?
Peggy
