Opossum captured in Honolulu outside a downtown office building

A live opossum was captured early this morning outside a downtown office building in Honolulu.

An office worker in the area saw the opossum on a window ledge in the gated doorway outside the Austin Building at 223 S. King St. and reported it to the Honolulu Police Department.

According to a press release from Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture, arriving officers were able to climb over the locked gate and capture the animal using a broomstick and a plastic bin. Plant Quarantine inspectors from the state agency were called at about 7:30 a.m. and were dispatched to scene and took custody of the opossum.

The opossum measured about 2 feet long from head to tail and appears to be an adult or older juvenile. It is not known how this animal arrived in Honolulu, although opossums have been known to stow away in shipping containers.

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.

Because the origin of the animal is unknown, the opossum is being tested for rabies as a precaution.

The last time an opossum was caught in Hawai‘i was in June 2016 by workers offloading a cargo ship at Honolulu Harbor.

In July 2015, an opossum was captured in Kaka‘ako near the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Office on Ala Moana Boulevard, an area surrounded by arriving cargo.

In July 2012, an opossum was caught in a cat trap at a Sand Island warehouse.

In 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 U.S. Postal Service facility at Honolulu International Airport.

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