Mongoose in backyard a pest like rat or mouse

Question: I recently saw a mongoose in my backyard. I’ve seen him a couple of times. Are they dangerous? My grandkids come over every once in a while, and I am wondering whether I should be worried about them if there’s a mongoose hanging around.

Answer: Like rats, this invasive species can transmit serious diseases to humans and pets, but mongooses are generally considered more of a direct threat to wildlife than to people, according to experts we consulted. Mongooses’ collective appetite for Hawaii’s ground-nesting birds and sea turtles, especially eggs and hatchlings, has been devastating.

Healthy mongooses tend to shy away from humans. They can be aggressive and bite if cornered, though, so call a professional pest-control company for removal. Don’t leave out food for the mongoose or try to “tame” it. It is against state law to introduce, keep or breed a mongoose in Hawaii without a special permit.

“For the most part, mongooses prefer to live away from humans and mainly come nearby in search of food. While normally not aggressive toward humans, mongoose, much like rats and mice, may pose health risks to humans by being carriers of diseases that could infect us. Mongoose are carriers of ticks and fleas that can transmit diseases such as murine typhus to humans and pets. Mongoose also carry and spread the bacterial disease leptospirosis,” said Patrick Chee, of the state Division of Forestry and Wildlife.

Murine typhus is spread by flea bites, while humans can catch leptospirosis by coming into contact with the urine, blood or tissue of an infected animal, as can occur if people swim in contaminated freshwater ponds or streams.

Grace Simmons, who manages the state Department of Health’s Vector Control Program, also said that mongooses carry fleas or other vectors (organisms that spread pathogens) that could cause a public-health nuisance or hazard. Along with diseases that Chee cited, she said mongooses are capable of spreading rabies, although that’s not the case here because “thankfully Hawaii does not have rabies.”

The Vector Control Branch does not have a mongoose-response team, so private property owners should consult a pest-control professional, she said.

You mentioned that you lived in Ewa Beach; Kokua Line also has received complaints from readers in Makiki and Waimanalo who’ve noticed more mongooses lately. They’re used to seeing the animals scurry across roads (and even sidewalks) during the day but hadn’t seen them in their own yards much until now. Whether this is a coincidence, a sign of a growing mongoose population or a disruption of habitat in those neighborhoods we can’t say.

E kala mai

As one grows older, one should grow wiser. I hope that I have. In hindsight I see that I was aggressive in my youth, always in a rush. So I say “forgive me” to the old people I rushed by without a thought; they are probably gone now. And I say “thank you” to younger people who are wiser than I was at their age — the ones who don’t complain about waiting at the checkout stand. Now I am the one who needs the extra time. — Humbled

Mahalo

Please send a great big mahalo to an angel named Chris Watanabe for her kindness. She was in front of me in the checkout line at Costco last month and paid for my food. Chris is a complete stranger. It was pure luck that I was able to catch up with her in the parking lot, or I would not have been able to find out her name. Thank you so very much, Chris. You will truly be blessed. May happiness and all good things follow you forever. — A huge arigato from Elaine (a truly grateful senior)

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