Mongoose captured on Kauaʻi at Nāwiliwili Harbor

A live mongoose was captured on Kauaʻi at Nāwiliwili Harbor on Friday morning, and handed over to the state Department of Agriculture, Wildlife Services for analysis.

Dockworkers first reported spotting a mongoose at the harbor on April 29. Two days later, on May 1, an employee of the state Department of Transportation, Harbors Division, reported seeing a mongoose chasing a chicken in a lot where cars are parked after being offloaded from the barges.

Beginning May 1, and throughout the week, a total of 43 traps were deployed by the Kaua‘i Invasive Species Committee and the Hawai‘i Department of Health – Vector Control Branch.

On Friday morning, May 5, a mongoose was found in a trap near the car lot. The KISC has since handed the mongoose over to the US Department of Agriculture – Wildlife Services for analysis.

Mongooses are established on Oʻahu, Maui, Molokaʻi and Hawaiʻi Island and are a threat to native ground-nesting birds. In 2021, a mongoose was captured at Nāwiliwili Harbor and in 2016, a mongoose was trapped in the cargo area at Līhuʻe Airport. In 2012, two mongooses were trapped in separate incidences – one at Nāwiliwili Harbor and another near a resort in Līhuʻe. 

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 Kauaʻi, go to the KISC website at: https://www.kauaiisc.org/pests/mongoose/