Posted on: Monday, October 18, 2004

Is Maui's big cat still on prowl?

By Timothy Hurley
Advertiser Staff Writer

It's been just about a year since the last credible sighting of the mysterious big cat in Olinda, Maui.

But stories refuse to die.

Wildlife officials say they've received at least 10 reports of a large cat roaming about Maui since last October, the latest two coming in just the past three weeks.

The state hasn't made a big deal out of it, because none of the reports has risen to a level warranting an on-site investigation.

While similarities linked the sightings around the Upcountry community of Olinda, none of the reports since then has fit any pattern, said Fern Duvall, state wildlife biologist.

The last official cat report was Oct. 28 of last year, when an Olinda resident said the animal was heard in the night. Since October, the cat has been described in a variety of locations and different colors, tail lengths and other characteristics, Duvall said.

"The big cat's been in Makena, Kahikinui, the (Maui) Tropical Plantation (in Waikapu), Spreckelsville, Wailea ... " he said.

Last year in Olinda, there were 13 sightings in a two-month period.

Duvall dedicated nearly nine months to hunting down the big cat, but not once did he see the animal. "Not even a fleeting glimpse," he said.

Even so, he's convinced it was out there. The tracks, the long scratch marks on tree trunks, the animal kills (birds and deer), and the eyewitness descriptions, in appearance and sound, helped convince him. And then there were the big-game experts from Arizona, who agreed a large cat was indeed loose on Maui.

Then the sightings stopped. No one heard anything. The suspected big-cat hair sample sent for DNA testing came back from the laboratory with inconclusive results. The only certainty: It was the hair of a cat.

In addition, the investigation to find the owner of the big cat hit a dead end.

Duvall believes either one of two things happened: The owner recaptured the pet, or the big cat moved elsewhere, probably somewhere to the east. Initially, Duvall thought the eastward movement was most likely but, with the passage of time, the first scenario seems more plausible.

"I've heard nothing to tell me it's still moving about or that it's been seen," he said.

In any case, Duvall is ready to take any other reports. Maybe you've seen the cat. Call the Division of Forestry and Wildlife at (808) 873-3502 or the police nonemergency number at (808) 244-6400.

If you have a question or concern about the Hawaiian environment, drop a note to Jan TenBruggencate at P.O. Box 524, Lihu'e, HI 96766, e-mail jant@honoluluadvertiser.com or call (808) 245-3074.