A second skunk was captured this month near Hilo Harbor by inspectors from the Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity (DAB). The animal was found after a report from a stevedore at Hilo Harbor, who relayed that his relative had seen a skunk on Kanoelehua Avenue. The person attempted to run over the skunk but missed, and saw it run under a fence at the Hilo shipyard. Inspectors from the Plant Quarantine Branch (PQB) responded quickly, searched the area, and used a net to capture the animal.
The origins of both skunks found in Hilo remain unknown. However, based on where they were sighted, officials believe they likely arrived as stowaways on cargo ships. It is unclear if both animals arrived together or separately.
Earlier in November, PQB received two reports about a skunk at Pier 1 in Hilo Harbor. In one case, dockworkers tried to trap the animal near cement pilings but it escaped before inspectors could arrive. Another report indicated that a skunk had hidden in the undercarriage of a vehicle on the dock; although visible, it was not accessible at that time. The vehicle was placed inside a shipping container where traps were set up. The next morning, staff found and trapped the skunk. Additional surveys did not find other animals, but more traps were deployed throughout the container yard for at least one week with no further captures.
Both captured skunks were euthanized for rabies testing. The first tested negative for rabies; results for the second are pending.
There have been previous incidents involving skunks at Honolulu Harbor in February 2018, January 2021, July 2021, June 2022, October 2024 and June 2025 when another was caught at Kaka‘ako Waterfront Park near Honolulu Harbor. On Maui, live skunks were captured at Kahului Harbor in December 2020 and August 2018; another was caught by state wildlife officials at Kanahā Pond State Wildlife Sanctuary in August 2022. In February 2023, a resident of Hilo trapped a skunk using a mongoose trap. All previously captured animals have tested negative for rabies.
Skunks are banned in Hawai‘i because they eat eggs and could threaten native ground-nesting birds if established locally. Skunks are native to mainland U.S., Canada, South America, Mexico and other regions worldwide. In the United States they are among four main wild carriers of rabies—a fatal disease spread mainly through bites from infected animals—while Hawai‘i remains free of rabies according to information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Anyone who sees or captures illegal or invasive species is urged to call Hawaii’s toll-free Pest Hotline at 808-643-PEST (7378).
