HILO — Hawaii may once again look to its four-legged friends to help prevent the introduction of invasive species.
The state House and Senate today, the last day of this year’s legislative session, will consider re-funding a program that once used specially-trained dogs to sniff out brown tree snakes hiding in air cargo.
The program ended in 2009 due to budget cuts after a 20-year run.
The snakes have decimated bird populations in Guam where they have no natural predators.
Big Island state Rep. Clift Tsuji, who introduced the bill, said he is concerned that Hawaii could face the same problem if the snakes catch a ride on military or commercial flights between Hawaii and the U.S. territory.
Tsuji, D-South Hilo, said the program’s $162,540 annual cost to the state would be well worth it, adding that Guam has spent millions of dollars combating the snakes, which originated from the Solomon Islands.
“It’s money well spent, well invested,” he said.
Hawaii Department of Agriculture Chairperson Russell Kokubun, who said keeping them out of the state is one of the department’s highest priorities, agreed.
“They (brown tree snakes) are very stealthy hunters,” he said.
Kokubun said the program caught seven snakes over a 14- to 15-year span.
The program, which would come with a 50 percent federal match, would fund one dog trainer and three handlers. They would operate at Honolulu International Airport and military bases on Oahu.
Previously, the program had one additional handler.
But this time around they won’t just be looking for snakes.
Kokubun said the agency plans to also train the dogs to catch other invasive species, including plants.
He said dogs are useful because they can detect snakes and other invasive species in areas difficult to search visually.
“They were detected in the smallest places you can imagine,” Kokubun said, referring to the snakes.
Jan Schipper, Big Island Invasive Species Committee manager, said he would be glad to see the dogs return, even if they are just used on Oahu.
“We need to nip these things off in the bud,” he said.
