"It is a little unusual. Generally, we don't see this many in a year. With regards to why, it's hard to say," Jonathan Ho, the plant quarantine branch manager for the Hawaii Department of Agriculture, told SFGATE. This highlights the unexpected increase in opossum appearances in Hawaii, suggesting potential underlying issues such as changes in transportation practices or shelter-seeking behavior among the animals.
"What we're finding is they're generally really close to the harbors. So they're probably stowing away on containers or vehicles and basically making their way over," Ho said. This comment emphasizes the likely method of the opossums' arrival, pointing to maritime transport as a factor in the growing presence of these invasive species.
The latest opossum was caught on Jan. 7 in a big-box store in Kona on the Island of Hawaii. The store reached out to the Hawaii Department of Agriculture after staff trapped the 6-pound animal. This incident showcases how opossums have started infiltrating urban areas in Hawaii, raising concerns over their impact on local ecosystems.
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