Skunk captured at Honolulu Harbor after days-long search

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Hawaii Department of Agriculture inspectors captured a live skunk on Monday night after a days-long search, according to Honolulu City and County officials.
State Agriculture officials said last Thursday inspectors from HDOA’s Plant Quarantine Branch received a call around 3 a.m. that a skunk was spotted running around the parking lot at Pier 1 and set up traps that day.
Officials say that at midnight on Friday, the skunk was seen on U.S. Immigration Office security cameras entering and exiting the property through a fence. Inspectors attempted and failed to capture the skunk.
Tuesday night, around 8:30 p.m., USIO security reported the skunk was seen under a cargo storage container. Then, three Department of Agriculture inspectors were able to capture the skunk using a net, pole, and wooden boards to scare it out of its hiding place.
Officials say the skunk is being tested for rabies.
It is unknown how long the skunk had been in the area or what vessel it may have hitchhiked on.
Live skunks were captured at Pier one in February 2018, January 2021, July 2021, and June 2022.
On Maui, a live skunk was captured at Kahului Harbor in December 2020, and one was captured at a trucking company in August 2018.
All previously captured skunks have tested negative for rabies.
Skunks are prohibited in Hawaii and are only allowed by permit for research and to view in zoos.
Sightings or captures of illegal and invasive species should be immediately reported to the state’s toll-free Pest Hotline at 808-643-PEST (7378).
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