September 10, 2025
A live mongoose has been captured on Kauai, raising new concerns about the island’s vulnerability to one of Hawaii’s most destructive invasive species.
On Friday morning, September 5th, members of the Kauai Invasive Species Committee (KISC) trapped a juvenile female mongoose at Nawiliwili Small Boat Harbor. The capture came less than 24 hours after KISC set 12 coconut-baited traps along the jetty wall following reports of a possible sighting. The animal was later turned over to the Hawaii Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity (DAB) and U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services for analysis.
Kauai remains the only major Hawaiian island without a breeding population of mongooses. The animals, however, are established on Oahu, Maui, Molokai, and Hawaii Island and are known to arrive periodically on Kauai by “hitchhiking” on cargo ships and barges. Since response efforts were strengthened in 2012, five mongooses have been captured here—including a pregnant female caught at the same harbor in 2023.
Officials stress that preventing an established population is critical. Mongooses are notorious predators of ground-nesting birds as well as sea turtle nests. Introduced to Hawaii in the 1880s to control rats in sugarcane fields, the species has caused widespread ecological damage instead, with estimated annual impacts of tens of millions of dollars statewide.
Because mongooses reproduce quickly—females can bear multiple litters each year—just a few individuals could establish a permanent population on Kauai. Agencies including KISC and USDA Wildlife Services continue to monitor harbors, airports, and other high-risk sites to detect and remove new arrivals.
Residents and visitors are urged to immediately report any suspected sightings by calling the KISC office at (808) 821-1490, the state toll-free PEST HOTLINE at (808) 643-PEST (7378), or filing a report online at 643pest.org.
For now, Kauai is believed to be mongoose-free—but the recent capture at Nawiliwili Harbor is a reminder of how quickly that could change.
SOURCE: Hawaii Department of Agriculture and Biodiversity. Photo credit KISC.
