Agriculture inspectors trap raccoon in shipping container from Maryland
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - A raccoon was captured Wednesday after it was spotted in a shipping container on Oahu filled with household goods and furniture, the state said.
Officials said crews saw the raccoon while unloading the container at a home in Iroquois Point. The movers immediately closed the container and contacted the Hawaii Department of Agriculture’s Plant Quarantine Branch.
Agriculture inspectors set up traps in the container overnight, and when they checked it in the morning, officials said they found a dead raccoon.
A HDOA veterinarian said the raccoon is a young female and is being tested for rabies.
Transportation records show the container came from Maryland and went through California, arriving at Honolulu Harbor on March 19.
Officials said the container had not been opened in transit to Oahu.
Hawaii is the only state in the U.S. and one of the few areas in the world that is rabies-free.
To report sightings of captures of illegal invasive species call the state’s toll-free Pest Hotline at (808) 643-PEST.
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