Freight workers in Kalihi unloading construction material early Monday afternoon found an opossum hiding in a 40-foot shipping container, the second such animal discovered in Honolulu in as many months.

What You Need To Know

  • Agriculture inspectors called to a shipping container in Kalihi found the opossum sitting on top of a pallet and quickly captured it
  • The opossum measured about 1.5 to 2 feet from head to tail and appears to be a male adult or older juvenile
  • HDOA said the opossum likely entered the container when it was loaded in California
  • Over the years, several opossums have made their way to Hawaii, most as stowaways on cargo vessels

After spotting the animal, which they said looked like a “very large rat,” the workers closed the container and called the Plant Quarantine Branch of the Hawaii Department of Agriculture.

Responding agriculture inspectors found the opossum sitting on top of a pallet and quickly captured it. Two traps were set inside the container overnight, but no other animals were found.

The opossum measured about 1.5 to 2 feet from head to tail and appears to be a male adult or older juvenile. HDOA said the opossum likely entered the container when it was loaded in California. Because the origin of the animal is unknown, the opossum is being tested for rabies as a precaution.

Opossums are native to North America and are omnivorous, with diets that range from insects, bird eggs and rodents, to fruits and vegetables. Although opossums are less likely to carry rabies than other mammals, they are carriers of parasites and other diseases. 

Last month, a live opossum was captured on a window ledge of an office building in Downtown Honolulu. The origin of that opossum has not been determined. It tested negative for rabies.

Over the years, several opossums have made their way to Hawaii, most as stowaways on cargo vessels.

Two were recovered in 2005, one inside a military cargo plane at Hickam Air Force Base and another in the mail-receiving area of the U.S. Postal Service facility at Honolulu International Airport.

In 2011, an opossum was found in a shipping container as it was being unloaded in the Ward Center. A. year later, another opossum was caught in a cat trap at a Sand Island Warehouse.

In 2015, an opossum was caught near the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Office on Ala Moana Blvd., an area surrounded by arriving cargo. And in 2016, another opossum was captured by workers offloading a cargo ship at Honolulu Harbor.

HDOA asks that anyone spotting an illegal animal call the statewide toll-free pest hotline at 808-643-PEST (7378).

Michael Tsai covers local and state politics for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at michael.tsai@charter.com.