A third opossum has been captured in Honolulu this year at a big-box store in Iwilei.

Last week, the Plant Quarantine Branch received a report of an opossum from a passerby who saw it  in the area the night before. Inspectors checked the area and set traps. Days later they returned to the site and found opossum droppings in a storage container and set traps using bananas, apples and cantaloupe as bait. Yesterday morning, inspectors found the opossum in one of the traps.

It is not known where the opossum came from. The store employees said they did not see it come out of any shipping container, but did observe it roaming the area at night.

The animal has been identified as a male weighing about nine pounds. Because the origin of the animal is not known, it will be euthanized so it may be tested for rabies.

Opossums are native to North America and are omnivorous, with diets that range from insects, bird eggs and rodents, to fruits and vegetables.

Anyone spotting an illegal animal should call the statewide toll-free PEST HOTLINE at 808-643-PEST (7378).

 

Photo credit: Department of Agriculture