Stevedores use fishing net to capture live skunk in Honolulu
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Stevedores helped capture a live skunk at Honolulu Harbor on Wednesday morning.
Officials with the Hawaii Department of Agriculture said stevedores spotted the skunk on the dock at Pier 1 and used a fishing net to contain the animal until agricultural inspectors arrived.
DOA inspectors picked up the skunk around 7:30 a.m.
Officials said it was a male skunk and they are testing it for rabies.
According to the DOA, a container ship that was docked at Pier 1 arrived Tuesday morning and was carrying cargo from Canada, Mexico, the U.S. and possibly other foreign ports. The ship left later Wednesday morning, en route to Kahului Harbor.
As a precaution, inspectors have deployed traps at Pier 1 in case other stowaway animals are on the dock.
Other skunks were also caught at Pier 1 in January and July of last year, as well as February 2018. Two were also captured on Maui in recent years. All previously captured skunks have tested negative for rabies.
Skunks — which are recognized as four primary carriers of rabies — are prohibited in the islands and are only allowed by permit for research and exhibition in a municipal zoo.
If you see an invasive animal, you’re urged to call the state’s Pest Hotline at 643-PEST (7378).
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