3 illegal animals, including an opossum, found on Oahu
A young opossum was found in a shipping container at a retail store at Ward Center this morning at about 7:30 a.m. Workers unloading the container saw the animal and immediately closed the container and called police. Responding officers captured the animal and inspectors from the Hawai`i Department of Agriculture (HDOA) picked up the animal, which weighed about 1.5 lbs.
Honolulu police recovered a flying squirrel known as a “sugar glider” from a Kaneohe residence Monday(25) afternoon, the latest in a series of illegal exotic animals either turned in or caught by Hawaii authorities in the last month.Officers with the Honolulu Police Department’s Crimestoppers office were initially told by the home’s occupants that the animal did not exist. But after being told of the state’s exotic animal amnesty program to the occupants, they relented and surrendered the pet, said HPD Sgt. Kim Buffett, Honolulu Crimestoppers coordinator.The animal was transferred to the state Department of Agriculture where a worker was bitten while trying to handle the squirrel. Anyone with information about an illegal animal could be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000 and is urged to call Crimestoppers at 955-8300.
Two illegal marsupials — an opossum and a sugar glider possum — and a snake were found on Oahu on Monday.
At Ward Center, a young opossum was found in a shipping container at a retail store about 7:30 a.m. Workers unloading the container spotted the animal, immediately closed the container and notified the police, state agriculture officials said.
Also Monday, a 3.5- to 4-inch sugar glider was turned over to the Hawaiian Humane Society through its amnesty program. The owner, who voluntarily surrendered the animal at the Moiliili shelter, will not be penalized. It is the second sugar glider to be handed over in two weeks.
Tonight, police from the Kapolei substation received a call from an Ewa Beach resident who reported finding what appeared to be a 9-inch snake.
