A live mongoose was recently caught at Nawiliwili Harbor in a multi-agency effort to prevent the establishment of mongoose on Kaua`i.

On April 29, dockworkers first reported spotting a mongoose at Nawiliwili Harbor. On May 1, a Hawai‘i Department of Transportation, Harbors Division employee reported seeing a mongoose chasing a chicken in a lot where cars are parked after being offloaded from the barges.

Throughout the week, a total of 43 traps were deployed by the Kaua‘i Invasive Species Committee (KISC) and the Hawai‘i Department of Health – Vector Control Branch. On May 5, a mongoose was found in a trap near the car lot. The KISC then handed the mongoose over to the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Wildlife Services for analysis.

Mongooses are established on O`ahu, Maui, Moloka`i and Hawai`i Island and are a threat to native ground-nesting birds. In 2021, a mongoose was captured at Nawiliwili Harbor and in 2016, a mongoose was trapped in the cargo area at Lihue Airport. In 2012, two mongooses were trapped in separate incidences – one at Nawiliwili Harbor and another near a resort in Lihue.

Any suspected invasive species should be reported to the state’s toll-free PEST HOTLINE at
(808) 643-PEST (7378).

For more information about the mongoose threat on Kaua‘i, visit the KISC website at: https://www.kauaiisc.org/pests/mongoose/

 

Photo credit: Department of Agriculture