Opossum captured outside downtown Honolulu office building
COURTESY HPD AND HDOA
Honolulu police officers captured this opposum spotted on a window ledge in downtown Honolulu this morning, and turned it over to the Hawaii Department of Agriculture. The opposum will be tested for rabies as a precaution.
A live opossum was captured early this morning outside a downtown Honolulu office building, according to the Hawaii Department of Agriculture.
Opossums are not native to Hawaii, and could be harmful to the environment if established in the isles, according to officials. Pet opossums are also illegal in Hawaii.
An office worker spotted the opossum on a window ledge outside of the historic building at 223 S. King St., formerly known as the Hawaiian Electric Company building, and reported it to police.
Officers climbed over a locked gate and captured the animal with a broomstick and plastic bin.
Plant quarantine inspectors from HDOA were dispatched to the scene at about 7:30 a.m. to take custody of the opossum.
The opossum measures about 2 feet long from head to tail and appears to be an adult or older juvenile, officials said, and will be tested for rabies as a precaution.
Opossums are marsupials commonly found in North America. They are omnivorous scavengers, with diets that range from insects to bird eggs, rodents, fruits and vegetables.
HDOA said they are less likely to carry rabies than other mammals, but are carriers of parasites and other diseases.
“It is not known how the opossum arrived in Honolulu, although they have been known to stow away in shipping containers,” said HDOA in a news release.
Since 2005, several opossums have been captured in Hawaii, including:
JUNE 2016
Workers captured an opossum while offloading a cargo ship at Honolulu Harbor.
JULY 2015
An opossum was captured near the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Office on Ala Moana Boulevard.
JULY 2012
An opossum was caught in a cat trap at a Sand Island warehouse.
AUGUST 2011
An opossum was found in a shipping container as it was being unloaded at Ward Center.
2005
Two opossums were found – one inside a military cargo plane at Hickam Air Force Base and the other in the mail-receiving area of the U.S. Postal Service facility at Honolulu International Airport.
HDOA urges anyone who spots an illegal animal to call the state’s toll-free pest hotline at 808-643-PEST (7378).
