HONOLULU (KHON2) -- A live opossum was captured in Kalihi after being discovered in a shipping container on Monday afternoon.
Freight workers unloading construction material from a 40-foot shipping container noticed what they thought was a large rat. They reported the sighting to the Plant Quarantine Branch of the Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture around 1:45 p.m.
Agriculture inspectors responded and found the opossum on top of a pallet when the container was opened. The opossum, which measured approximately 1.5 to two feet long and appears to be an adult or older juvenile male, was captured quickly.
Two traps were set inside the container overnight, but no additional animals were found during a follow up inspection Tuesday morning.
The opossum likely hitched a ride in the container, which had been loaded in California.
As a precaution, the animal is being tested for rabies due to its unknown origin.
Another opossum was found in Downtown Honolulu last July -- that opossum tested negative for rabies.
Opossums have been spotted in Hawai‘i in previous years, 2005, 2011, 2012, 2015, and 2016.
To report an illegal animal statewide, call PEST HOTLINE at 808-643-PEST (7378).
