Mongoose on Maui
Mongoose (Herpestes javanicus) were introduced to help control rats. They now run wild all over the island, they probably do more harm to bird species than any rats. Mongoose move very fast and are usually shy, Most people will catch a fleeting glimpse of one when they dart in to the bushes at the edge of the roadway. In several camping areas mongoose have become emboldened and less wary of Man. They will stroll around the campgrounds looking for food scraps. The mongooses found in Hawai’i are native to India and were originally introduced to the Hawaiian Islands in 1883 by the sugar industry to control rats in sugarcane fields on Maui, Moloka’i and O’ahu.