In the industrial section of Sand Island, dozens of snakes, lizards and coqui frogs wait in an airless room that reeks of excrement and wood chips.

One day, they will likely be shipped out of Hawaii to a reptile sanctuary or zoo, but many have been there for months.

Pythons, boa constrictors, bearded dragons and blue tongue skinks, of all stripes and colors, are just a few of the unwelcome animals that the Department of Agriculture’s quarantine department has either captured, or that have been handed over via a don’t ask, don’t tell amnesty program.

In fiscal year 2011, quarantine officials took in 221 animals alone. Local residents also reported sightings of 185 non-native species, many of which were never caught. Twenty-five of the reports were of snakes, which have no history in Hawaii.

Ag officials say they are struggling to control the problem of invasive species, which can wreak havoc on Hawaii’s ecosystem, amid budgetary cutbacks and reductions in inspectors. Since 2009, the number of cargo inspectors has been reduced from 95 to 65, and the decade-old canine inspection program was canceled. About 10 beagle hybrids, who were particularly good at detecting fruits and vegetables, inspected large cargo. But the dogs were given away to families when the program was canceled in 2009.

Bills before the Legislature this session could help matters. House Bill 1943 targets the dreaded brown tree snake, which has caused problems in Guam. With the U.S. increasing its military presence there, and the number of flights going between the islands increasing, concerns have spiked. The bill would provide funding for a dog inspection program.

Glenn Sakamoto, the ag department’s education and outreach specialist, says officials are very concerned about snakes coming to Hawaii and getting established here.

He explains the problem:

Other proposed legislation includes House Bill 1940, which would provide funding for more quarantine inspectors. The bill seeks $2.4 million for more than 30 inspectors and staff.

Most of the animals at the quarantine office were either smuggled in as pets or were stowaways on airplanes and cargo ships. If they were to establish themselves in Hawaii they could disrupt indigenous species because they lack predators, said Sakamoto.

“When you move a species into a different environment, it doesn’t have the same balance,” he said. “Here we don’t have large predators for snakes or even the coqui frog. When a pest becomes established, it’s almost impossible to eradicate.”

The mongoose, for example, which was brought in by sugar planters to control rats — unsuccessfully — have decimated bird populations. The coqui frogs, which agriculture officials say hail from Puerto Rico, are so loud that they have become the bane of hotel management on Maui and the Big Island who worry that they will chase off guests, and of local residents trying to get a good nights sleep.

Making sure that non-native species don’t get loose in Hawaii is one problem, but officials are also trying to make sure that species, such as the coqui frogs, that have established themselves on Maui, Kauai and the Big Island, don’t spread.

Three officials at the Department of Agriculture have taken it upon themselves to make sure the frogs don’t become established on Oahu. Whenever there is a report of coqui frogs they head out with flashlights at night. Keevin Minami said he’s caught more than 200 of the frogs on Oahu in the past seven years. He’s perfected the whistle:

This Albino Burmese Python was turned into the quarantine office about a year ago, and is still awaiting a new home.

Agriculture officials say that one of the most important things that the public can do is be aware of the problem, and contact them if they see something at 643-PEST.