![\"Residents](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/8f9c39cde5852bc8648c7703db0d968a.jpeg\"\/)
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Photo Credit: Department of Agriculture & Biosecurity<\/p>\n
FOX Weather<\/a> reported that the mongoose may have been introduced to Hawai\u02bbi during the 1800s by sugar plantation owners. The mongooses were supposed to control rat populations on the islands, including O\u02bbahu, Maui, Moloka\u02bbi, and the Big Island.<\/p>\n No permanent population has been established on Kaua\u02bbi. Because of this, the recent capture of the mongoose there has renewed concerns over the threats this invasive species poses.<\/p>\n Why is controlling invasive species important?<\/p>\n According to experts, FOX Weather reported<\/a> at least five live mongooses have been caught on Kaua\u02bbi since 2012. Many of them may have arrived by boat.<\/p>\n The Hawai\u02bbi Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services are trying to determine the origin of this most recent mongoose.<\/p>\n From seed dispersal to pollination, native plant and animal species help ecosystems be more resilient. The problem is that invasive species outcompete them for critical resources and can more directly jeopardize the survival of some of them.<\/p>\n Ground-nesting animals and endangered sea turtles are particularly vulnerable to the presence of mongoose. According to the Hawai\u02bbi Invasive Species Council<\/a>, they’re opportunistic feeders that like to prey on their eggs and hatchlings.<\/p>\n HISC also stated that mongooses have even been linked to several animal extinctions in Jamaica and Fiji.<\/p>\n What is being done to rein in the mongoose presence?<\/p>\n Hawai\u02bbi residents who spot a mongoose are urged to report their sighting to the invasive species hotline at 808-643-7378. This will allow specialized staff to take the necessary measures quickly.<\/p>\n “Provide as many details as possible to help us assess your report, including related images and location details,” the 643Pest Network<\/a> said on its website.<\/p>\n Join our free newsletter<\/a> for good news and useful tips, and don’t miss this cool list<\/a> of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As cute as an animal is, its observation is not always good news. Look no further than Hawai\u02bbi,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":205447,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[127501,64,63,127499,127500,8969,128,338],"class_list":["post-205446","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-animal-extinctions","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-department-of-agriculture-biosecurity","tag-fox-weather","tag-invasive-species","tag-science","tag-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205446","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=205446"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205446\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/205447"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=205446"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=205446"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=205446"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}