Stowaway opossum found on Hickam flight
By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer
It's a good thing ground crews at Hickam Air Force Base had eagle eyes Sunday or they may have missed an illegal passenger on a charter aircraft.
State Department of Agriculture
The crew was unloading a Polar Air aircraft from Travis Air Force Base in northern California about 7 p.m. when it spotted a gray opossum running around in the plane. The crew quickly closed all aircraft doors, trapped the animal under a pallet and called the state Department of Agriculture.
A Hickam crew spotted this opossum skittering around on a plane that flew in from California on Sunday. Because opossums can carry rabies, the creature was killed.
The opossum was captured and taken into custody. Neil Reimer, manager of the Department of Agriculture's plant quarantine branch, said the opossum was euthanized and tested for rabies and other diseases.
Reimer yesterday credited the ground crew for its quick actions to prevent the animal from escaping.
Reimer said the opossum likely got on board when the Polar Air flight originated at Travis. Opossums are the only marsupials native to North America but are not found in Hawai'i.
He said the opossum was about 12 inches long and probably an adult. But he said he did not know the creature's gender.
"If it was a pregnant female, there would be a concern because she could raise her young. If it were not pregnant or was a male it wouldn't be as much of a concern because it would live out its life and die," Reimer said. "But the concern is if it did get established here then we'd have a new pest to deal with."
Opossums are omnivorous, meaning they eat just about anything and could be a threat to Hawai'i's native birds and vegetation.
Reimer said another concern is that opossums can carry rabies, parasites or other diseases. He said it is the department's policy to euthanize illegal mammals that are potential rabies carriers.
"The concern might be if it was found at the airport and if it had been there for a while, there's the possibility that if it was rabid, then something else could have gotten infected and then we'd have a concern," Reimer said.
He also said there would be a concern if one of the crew members had been bitten or scratched.
Reimer said no one in his department can remember the last time an opossum was captured in Hawai'i.
"This is the first time I've heard of a 'possum. So it hasn't occurred in a long while, if it's not the first," he said.
Reach Curtis Lum at 525-8025 or culum@honoluluadvertiser.com
