A live opossum was captured at a freight company in Kalihi on Monday.
Workers were unloading a 40-foot shipping container and spotted an animal they described as a large rat. The opossum ran and hid inside the container.
Employees said they closed the container and called the state Department of Agriculture.
Inspectors were immediately dispatched and when the container was opened, the animal was sitting on top of a pallet and quickly captured. Traps were set in the container, but no other animals were found.
Officials say it’s likely that the opossum got into the container when it was loaded in California. It is being tested for rabies as a precaution.
Earlier this summer, a live opossum was captured on a window ledge of an office building in Downtown Honolulu. That animal tested negative for rabies, but it’s unclear where it came from.
If an illegal animal is spotted, individuals are encouraged to call the statewide toll-free pest hotline at (808) 643-7378
