KAUAI, Hawaii (KHON2) — A live mongoose was captured on Kauaʻi at the Nāwiliwili Small Boat Harbor on Sept. 5.
Mongoose do not have an established population on the Garden Isle, but are established on Oʻahu, Maui, Molokaʻi and Hawaiʻi Island.
Members of the Kauaʻi Invasive Species Committee first received reports of a possible mongoose at the harbor on Sept. 4, and quickly launched a multiagency effort to prevent mongoose establishment.
Officials placed 12 baited traps in the reported area.
The next morning, a juvenile female mongoose was found in a trap, where the critter was then handed over to the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity.
While mongoose are not established on Kauaʻi, the critters are known to hitchhike to the island from area where they are established. They are a threat to native birds, making their containment and capture critical for the local ecosystem.
Since 2012, five live mongoose have been caught on Kauaʻi thanks to strengthened mongoose response efforts. The last mongoose caught on the island was a pregnant female mongoose captured in the same area in 2023.
Any suspected mongoose sightings can be reported to the Kauaʻi Invasive Species Committee at (808) 821-1490 or the state toll-free PEST HOTLINE at (808) 643-7378.