Evidence supports sightings of big cat on Maui

By Timothy Hurley
Advertiser Maui County Bureau

WAILUKU, Maui — State wildlife workers yesterday discovered evidence of a big cat in the lower Olinda area of Maui where residents have reported seeing a large animal on the loose.

"I believe it's for real," said wildlife biologist Fern Duvall, leader of a six-person team that traversed a thickly wooded gulch in search of the unidentified cat, believed to be a jaguar or leopard that was released into the wild. "There's something out there."

The team found claw marks on trees, dead doves with bite marks, 4-inch paw prints and tracks.

What's more, one hour into the morning search, an Olinda resident reported seeing the large cat at a place where it had been previously seen. Duvall speculated that the searchers may have spooked the animal to move into a different area.

There have been reports over the past six months suggesting that a large cat is prowling the area, with at least five sightings. Descriptions suggest the cat is 4 feet long, not including its long tail, and dark in color.

Yesterday's search turned up the first evidence consistent with the reports, officials said.

"Nothing we saw contradicts what they've been saying," Duvall said.

"It makes you wonder what people are thinking when they bring these things here," said Deborah Ward, state Department of Land and Natural Resources spokeswoman.

Duvall said searchers found several trees with deep gouges, indicating they were used as scratching posts and for climbing. Also found were eight to 10 dead doves with bite marks on their backs, he said.

Large cat-like paw prints were seen in different areas, he said, but the soil was too dry to make an impression of the print.

The search team — with personnel from DLNR, the state Department of Agriculture and the Maui Invasive Species Committee — will return to the region again this morning to bait a trap with chicken meat and to set up four more traps.

One of the latest sightings came from Steve Hayes, a tourist from Belmont, Calif., who said four people in his eight-member group saw the animal June 17 while driving through the Olinda area. The creature was running down a ridge about 200 yards away.

"The reaction by the people who saw it was the same: The first thought was that it must be a dog, but it did not run like a dog ... and the second thought was that it was a wild pig, but its legs were too long. We were not alarmed by it, but after we read the story ... we did report the sighting to wildlife authorities," Hayes said.

Duvall urged the public to keep away from the area to enhance the likelihood of capturing the animal.

Officials are asking residents to immediately report any sightings. Reports should be given to Duvall at (808) 873-3502 or (808) 984-8100. After normal business hours and on weekends, call the Maui police nonemergency number at (808) 244-6400.