Opossum captured in Honolulu shipping container

Another live opossum has been captured in Honolulu. Freight workers in Kalihi were unloading construction material from a 40-foot shipping container Monday afternoon and spotted an animal that looked like a very large rat run and hide inside the container. The employees closed the container and reported it to the Plant Quarantine Branch of the Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture.

Agriculture inspectors were dispatched and when the container was opened, the opossum was sitting on top of a pallet and was quickly captured by inspectors. Two traps were set inside the container overnight and a check by inspectors Tuesday morning found no other animals.

The opossum measured about 1.5 to 2 feet in length from head to tail and appears to be male adult or older juvenile. It is likely that the opossum hitchhiked in the container which was loaded in California, according to department officials. Because the origin of the animal is unknown, the opossum is being tested for rabies as a precaution.

Earlier this summer in July, a live opossum was captured on a window ledge of an office building in Downtown Honolulu. The origin of that opossum has not been determined. That opossum tested negative for rabies.

Over the years, several opossums have been captured in Hawai‘i:

• June 2016: An opossum was captured by workers offloading a cargo ship at Honolulu Harbor.
• July 2015: An opossum was captured in Kaka‘ako near the US Immigration and Naturalization Office on Ala Moana Blvd, an area surrounded by arriving cargo.
• July 2012: An opossum was caught in a cat trap at a Sand Island warehouse.
• August 2011: One was found in a shipping container as it was being unloaded in the Ward Center area.
• In 2005: Two opossums were found – one was captured inside a military cargo plane at Hickam Air Force Base and the other was found in the mail receiving area of the US Postal Service facility at Honolulu International Airport.

Opossums are native to North America and are omnivorous, with diets that range from insects, bird eggs and rodents, to fruits and vegetables. Although opossums are less likely to carry rabies than other mammals, they are carriers of parasites and other diseases. 

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