On a mongoose hunt

KAPA‘A — From where Amos Arashiro, pest survey and response technician for the Kauai Invasive Species Committee (KISC), worked on baiting trackboards, the din of morning traffic could be heard but not seen.

The thick growth of haole koa and guinea grass was an effective screen against seeing any of the cars that used the Kapa‘a bypass road, and also kept Arashiro from being seen as he did his rounds checking on several trackboard stations located near a reservoir located off the bypass road. This is the same kind of environment that mongooses love.

“Water is the key,” he said. “Mongoose need water.”

Thus, when sightings are reported to the KISC, Arashiro sets up trackboard stations near water sources.

Working on this project since September on a regular basis, Arashiro has concentrated his efforts on sighting reports coming in from the Lihu‘e Airport through Kapa‘a, although he said he’s made trips out to Polihale where reports were also made.

Arashiro’s job is made more difficult by the lateness of the reports, saying many of the reports come weeks after the initial sighting was made. Drawing on his knowledge of mongoose behavior, Arashiro said when the reports are old, chances are the animals may have already moved on.

“They move around a lot, and won’t return for about a month,” he said.

His most credible report centers around the Lihu‘e Airport, where he notes that a resident who used to live in Malaysia made the reports, and that he is familiar with mongoose from living in Malaysia.

Conditions for mongoose are also favorable around the airport, where they have a source of food from the nearby Lihu‘e refuse transfer station, and a source of water from the waterfalls at the Lihu‘e Airport entry sign near the Gateway Project.

However, sightings are rare, Arashiro explained, because the mongoose, although a daytime predator, is also shy, and the sound of the heavy traffic keeps it hidden.

Arashiro also said their initial efforts at securing tracks were also inadvertently thwarted when the landscapers mowed the grass and cut the bougainvillea, both natural habitats for the creature.

As the truck slowly crept up the dirt road behind the Kapa‘a bypass road, Arashiro also pointed out that the caretakers of the property had mowed back the guinea grass that he said initially bent across the road. “This chases the mongoose away,” he said while anticipating that no tracks would be found on this trip.

Arashiro also noted that in areas where there are lots of chicks from wild chickens, there is probably no mongoose, as they feed on eggs, relating that the Wailua landowner who wants to establish a bird sanctuary would definitely have a problem if mongoose became established in this area.

The trackboard stations that Arashiro used have been improvised from a Hopaco product. He says that the “regulation” stations are made of PVC, but that’s expensive, and he’s discovered he can make stations out of a product they found at Hopaco.

These stations protect the special tracking paper that records tracks of animals that respond to a centrally located bait station.

“On the Big Island, they use sava, an oily fish,” Arashiro said. “But, when I found that sava goes for $3 a fish, we settled on using smelt.”

Most of the stations are set out for two-week periods because of the flighty nature of the intended animals. But in high-suspect areas, Arashiro will leave the stations out longer, checking on them daily.

He notes that some of the rats that frequent the stations have become smart, knowing when he is going to check on the trackboards, and within an hour of re-papering the station will be down attacking the bait.

Another problem facing Arashiro’s task of getting tracks is the inclement weather. “During dry times, the (African) snails don’t touch this stuff, the tracking paper and its protective shell. But, when it gets wet, something happens. They love to eat it,” he said while pointing out the gnawing damage incurred by the snails on some of the stations.

Arashiro said that once mongoose tracks are obtained on the paper, the difference between rat tracks and mongoose tracks being that rats have trailing toes and will imprint a different pattern as compared with mongoose who have very similar track shapes, the samples are faxed over to U.S. Department of Agriculture officials on the Big Island for verification by experts there.

Of the tracks sent to the Big Island, Arashiro said there have been several locations where the USDA officials have responded with an 85 percent confirmation of mongoose.

This response prompts Arashiro to the next step, which involves placing special traps in hopes of capturing a live specimen.

But, these too, have had their share of problems, as Arashiro notes that there are areas in Kapa‘a where he cannot set out the traps because people steal them and use them as crab traps.

Mongoose traps have to be sturdy in nature, Arashiro said. Thus, a one-inch mesh is used. He noted that if a rat got caught in the trap, it could easily slip through the mesh, but not a mongoose.

Arashiro said that during the summer, special dogs trained for mongoose hunting were brought over from the Big Island and taken to each of the areas where sightings were reported.

It was at one of these locations, verified by a USDA 85-percent confirmation, where one of the dogs really reacted, Arashiro said. The dog was so active, the handler had a hard time calming it, the dog’s reaction and the earlier confirmation leading Arashiro to concentrate his efforts at that site.

If a live specimen is eventually caught, Arashiro said he needs to return it to the office where photographs need to be taken.

Arashiro’s efforts are currently being funded by a grant from the state Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), but he was just given a three-month extension by the KISC.

If people need more information, or to report a sighting, they are welcome to call the KISC at 246-0684.

Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@pulitzer.net.