Officials look into possible attack by Maui mystery cat

By Timothy Hurley
Advertiser Maui County Bureau

OLINDA, Maui — State wildlife officials are investigating the possibility that the mauling of a young deer here may have been the work of a big cat believed to have been on the loose for at least six months.

"At this time we do not have conclusive evidence for what might have killed this deer," state wildlife biologist Fern Duvall said in a statement yesterday.

The deer, a 30-pound fawn, was found late Friday evening by a homeowner on private land. A second Olinda resident reported seeing a catlike animal Saturday afternoon from his lanai in the same area.

Deborah Ward, spokeswoman for the Department of Land and Natural Resources, said officials have not decided whether to resume trapping for the big cat.

Reports of a catlike animal in Olinda have been made almost every month since mid-December, most of them within a two-mile radius.

A search for the cat revealed sizable paw tracks, claw marks on trees and dead birds, prompting officials last month to set traps for what is believed to be a leopard or a jaguar. But after two weeks — and diminishing evidence — the traps were dismantled.

Maui police and DLNR conservation officers responded to the Friday report, finding a deer carcass with part of its head eaten away and bite and puncture wounds on its abdomen.

Ward said the wounds could have been inflicted by a big cat or a dog.

Duvall urged neighbors to use caution and be alert.

"Because public safety is involved, we strongly advise people not to go looking for and not to put themselves or others at risk by trying to capture this animal on their own," he said.

Sightings, strange animal sounds, unusual pet behavior or other similar events can be reported to the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife on Maui at (808) 873-3502 or to the Maui police nonemergency number at (808) 244-6400.