September 10, 2025, 3:30 PM HST
A mongoose was captured on Kauaʻi. (Photo Courtesy: Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture)
A live mongoose has been captured on Kauaʻi, where the invasive species does not have an established population.
In a multiagency effort to prevent mongoose establishment, members of the Kauaʻi Invasive Species Committee captured the animal at Nāwiliwili Small Boat Harbor on Friday morning.
The Kauaʻi Invasive Species Committee had deployed 12 traps baited with fresh coconuts along the jetty wall at the harbor on Sept. 4, after receiving reports of a possible mongoose along the jetty. The following morning, a juvenile female mongoose was found in one of the traps.
In a multiagency effort to prevent mongoose establishment, members of the Kauaʻi Invasive Species Committee captured the animal at Nāwiliwili Small Boat Harbor on Friday morning. (Photo Courtesy: Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture)
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The Kauaʻi Invasive Species Committee handed the mongoose over to the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity, which is working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services to complete an analysis.
While Kauaʻi does not have an established population of mongoose, they are known to hitchhike to Kauaʻi from infested areas. Mongooses are established on Oʻahu, Maui, Molokaʻi, and Hawaiʻi Island and pose a threat to native ground-nesting birds.
In a multiagency effort to protect Kauaʻi from the devastating impacts of an established mongoose population, teams from the Kauaʻi Invasive Species Committee, Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity, and additional agencies respond to mongoose sightings at high-risk sites.
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Five live mongooses have been captured since response efforts were strengthened in 2012. The last mongoose caught on Kauaʻi was a pregnant female captured at Nāwiliwili Harbor in 2023.
Any suspected mongoose sightings should be reported to Kaua‘i Invasive Species Committee at 808-821-1490, the state toll-free PEST HOTLINE at: 808-643-PEST(7378) or online.