LĪHUʻE, Hawaii – A live mongoose has been captured on Kauai, raising concerns about how easily the invasive species can spread.
The Kauaʻi Invasive Species Committee said the animal was captured on Sept. 5 near a marine harbor, where at least one previous sighting had been reported.
After receiving initial reports, staff deployed about a dozen traps before catching the carnivorous mammal.
Although mongooses are well established on other Hawaiian islands, including Oahu, Maui, Molokai and the Big Island, they have not yet formed a permanent population on Kauai or Lanai.
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Photo of a live mongoose that has been captured on Kauai.
(Kauai Invasive Species Committee / FOX Weather)
Since 2012, at least five live mongooses have been captured on Kauai, according to wildlife experts – many potentially arriving via boat.
The weasel-like animal is believed to have arrived in Hawaii during the 1800s from India and was introduced by sugar plantation owners to control rat populations.
According to the Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources, mongooses feed on birds, small mammals, reptiles, insects, fruits and plants, and can pose a threat to humans when threatened.
Ground-nesting animals such as seabirds and endangered sea turtles are particularly vulnerable.
Outside Hawaii, the species has been linked to animal extinctions in places like Jamaica and Fiji, where native ground-nesting birds have disappeared after mongoose populations became established.
Officials say even with a limited population in the U.S., the economic toll has been significant, with an estimated $50 million in damage annually.
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Residents who spot a mongoose are urged to report their sighting to the invasive species hotline at 808-643-7378 or by visiting 643pest.org.
The captured mongoose was handed over to the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity, which is working alongside the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services to determine the animal’s origin.
A picture taken on August 17, 2017 shows a banded mongoose cub at the zoological park of the eastern French city of Amneville, eastern France.
(JEAN-CHRISTOPHE VERHAEGEN/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
