A live skunk was captured by Honolulu police Wednesday night at Kaka‘ako Water Front Park.
According to an announcement Thursday from the state Department of Agriculture, police responded to a call about a skunk running around the park near Keawe Street.
Three agriculture inspectors from the HDOA were dispatched around 10:30 p.m. and arrived to find that police officers had corralled the odoriferous mammal in a plastic trash bin, the department noted.
Inspectors then took custody of the animal, which has since been humanely euthanized to test for rabies.
Its origin is unknown but the HDOA says that the park is adjacent to Honolulu Harbor, where skunks — apparently hitching a ride on cargo ships — have been captured.
According to the announcement, skunks were captured by stevedores at the harbor in February 2018, January and July 2021, and in June 2022.
Several skunks have also been caught on Maui and Hawai‘i Island in recent years.
On the Valley Isle, the HDOA says a live skunk was found at Kahului Harbor in December 2020, at a trucking company in August 2018, and at Kanahā Pond State Wildlife Sanctuary in August 2022.
And in February 2023, a Hilo resident caught one in a mongoose trap.
"All previously captured skunks have tested negative for rabies," HDOA said.
According to the department, skunks — egg-eaters that would pose a threat to native ground-nesting birds should they become established here — are prohibited in the Islands.
This is the second live, illegal animal captured by agriculture inspectors this month.
On June 1, a live, three-and-a-half foot non-venomous ball python was found in the backyard of a Kaimukī residence.
Jonathan Ho, manager of the department's Plant Quarantine Branch, told ASD earlier this month that when a snake, like the one found in Kaimukī, is captured, PQB will hold the animal and may use it for outreach and educational purposes. Eventually, though, PQB will "arrange for a shipment of reptiles to a zoo or wildlife refuge on the Mainland."
But animals like skunks, opossums and raccoons that can potentially carry rabies are tested for the disease, which can only be done after they're dead.
"The animal is humanely euthanized and HDOA veterinarians submit samples from the brain to a U.S. Department of Agriculture laboratory on the Mainland," he said at that time. "Without knowing the origin of the animal, testing is required to determine if there has been any exposure by humans or other animals to the rabies virus."
The state Department of Health notes that on the U.S. Mainland, wild animals that are typically associated with the disease include skunks, foxes, raccoons and bats. Hawai‘i, however, is the only state free of rabies.
Read more about what happens to illegal animals and invasive stowaways found in Hawai‘i here.
You can report sightings or captures of illegal and invasive species to the state's toll-free Pest Hotline at 808-643-PEST (7378).
Stephanie Salmons can be reached at stephanie@alohastatedaily.com.
