In unwanted animal news, Hawaii’s Dept. of Ag. has responded to a possum caught in a cat trap near Sand Island. It’s the latest non-native animal to arrive on Hawaii’s shores. 

Workers in the Sand Island industrial area were attempting to capture feral cats and got a surprise yesterday morning when they found an opossum caught in a cat trap.  The company called the Hawai`i Department of Agriculture (HDOA) and inspectors were sent to pick up the animal.  It is not known how the opossum got there, but they are known to hitchhike in shipping containers, which are common in the area.

Opossums are native to North America and are omnivorous, with diets that range from insects, bird eggs, and rodents to fruits and vegetables.  While opossums are less likely to carry rabies than other mammals, they are carriers of parasites and other diseases.  Because the origin of the animal is unknown, the opossum is being tested for rabies as a precaution.