Three opossums were captured at harbors in Honolulu and Hilo within the past five weeks.
Two were caught in two separate locations on Tuesday at the Honolulu Harbor, and a third was ensnared at the Hilo Harbor on Sept. 15.
Opossum found on Pier 1 in Honolulu Harbor on Oct. 21, 2025. (Photo courtesy: State Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity)
The first reported sighting of an opossum on Tuesday came in at 6:45 a.m. A shipping company at the Honolulu Harbor reported seeing the animal running around in the container yard at Pier 1 overnight, according to a news release from the state Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity.
Agriculture inspectors from the Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity’s Plant Quarantine Branch responded within the hour and captured the opossum using a pole and a net after it took shelter under a shipping container.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ADARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD
Hours later at 11 a.m., a different shipping company on the opposite end of the harbor reported that it had captured an opossum in a cat trap after observing the animal running around the container yard around Pier 51.
Opossum caught at Pier 51 at Honolulu Harbor on Oct. 21, 2025. (Photo courtesy: State Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity)
Inspectors were immediately dispatched and retrieved the animal.
The opossum caught on the Big Island was captured on Sept. 15 in a trap put out by the Hilo Plant Quarantine inspectors at Pier 1 at Hilo Harbor.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD
The trap was put out after an employee from the shipping company reported seeing an opossum running between vehicles on the dock three days before.
Agricultural inspectors were dispatched and saw the opossum crawl into the undercarriage of a vehicle, but were unable to physically reach the animal as it moved further into the engine. The vehicle was moved into a 40-foot container where traps with cat food and water were deployed.
As per animal and human health protocol, all the opossums were humanely euthanized and submitted for rabies testing. The Hilo opossum tested negative for rabies. Tissue samples from the two opossums caught today are being sent to the mainland for testing.
Opossum caught at Hilo Harbor on Hawai‘i Island on Sept. 15, 2025. (State Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity)
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD
Over the years, several opossums have been captured in Hawai‘i:
January 2025 – An opossum was caught at a big-box store in Kona
December 2024 – An opossum was trapped by PQB inspectors at a big-box store in Iwilei on O‘ahu.
August 2024 – An opossum was captured at a Kalihi freight company after workers saw it run into a shipping container.
July 2024 – An opossum was captured on a window ledge of an office building in Downtown Honolulu.
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 U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Office on Ala Moana Blvd., an area surrounded by arriving cargo.
July 2012 – An opossum was caught in an animal 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 U.S. 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).