Rare Mongoose on Kauaʻi captured at Nawiliwili Harbor

A live mongoose was caught Friday at Nawiliwili Harbor in a multi-agency effort on Kauaʻi.

While mongoose populations are well-established on O‘ahu, Maui, Moloka‘i and Hawai‘i Island, the Kaua‘i Invasive Species Committee continues to successfully prevent the animal from gaining a foothold on the Garden Isle.

Dockworkers at the harbor first reported seeing the mongoose on April 29. On May 1, Hawai‘i Department of Transportation, Harbors Division, reported that an employee saw a mongoose chasing a chicken in a lot where cars are parked after being offloaded from the barges.

Beginning May 1 and throughout this week, 43 traps were set out by the Kaua‘i Invasive Species Committee and the Hawai‘i Department of Health – Vector Control Branch. Friday morning, a mongoose was found in a trap near the car lot. The Kaua‘i Invasive Species Committee handed the mongoose over to the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Wildlife Services for analysis.

Mongoose 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, click here.