Over the weekend, staff at a big-box store in Kona caught an opossum in an animal trap.

What You Need To Know

  • The big-box store in Kona contacted the Hawaii Department of Agriculture around 11 p.m. on Saturday to inform the state agency of the trapped opossum
  • The next morning, an inspector with HDOA retrieved the critter and arranged for it to be transported to Honolulu
  • Since its origins are unknown, the state agency euthanized the six-pound male opossum to test for rabies
  • Over the years, several opossums have made their way to Hawaii, most as stowaways on cargo vessels

The store contacted the Hawaii Department of Agriculture around 11 p.m. on Saturday to inform the state agency of the trapped opossum. The next morning, an inspector with HDOA retrieved the critter and arranged for it to be transported to Honolulu. 

Since its origins are unknown, the state agency euthanized the six-pound male opossum to test for rabies.

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. 

In 2024, three opossums were captured in Hawaii, including an opossum found at a big-box store in Iwilei on Oahu in mid-December. Over the years, several opossums have made their way to Hawaii, most as stowaways on cargo vessels. 

  • August 2024: An opossum was captured at a Kalihi freight company after workers saw it run into a shipping container.
  • July 2024: Honolulu police captured an opossum crawling around a downtown office building. 
  • June 2016: An opossum was captured by workers unloading a cargo ship at Honolulu Harbor.
  • July 2015: An opossum was captured in Kaka‘ako near the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Office on Ala Moana Blvd, an area surrounded by arriving cargo.
  • July 2012: An opossum was caught in a cat trap at a Sand Island warehouse.
  • August 2011 - an opossum was found in a shipping container as it was being unloaded in the Ward Center area.
  • 2005 - an opossum was captured inside a military cargo plane at Hickam Air Force Base and another opossum was found in the mail receiving area of the U.S. Postal Service facility at Honolulu International Airport.

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