Illegal animal seizures increased since COVID, state agriculture department says

By Diane Ako

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HONOLULU, Hawaii (KITV) — The number of illegal animals that state inspectors seize or capture has increased in Hawaii, the state Department of Agriculture says. One inspector says it’s actually the result of a perfect storm: COVID, the economy and the internet.

Department of Agriculture inspectors subdued a wayward opossum in downtown Honolulu on Wednesday. It’s not the first marsupial to vacation in Hawaii, and it’s likely a stowaway from a ship on the West Coast. And certainly not the most exotic catch, by far.

Jonathan Ho, acting manager of the Department of Agriculture’s Plant Quarantine Department, explained: “Staff have found snakes, chameleons and freshwater stingrays.” If it’s an illegal pet trade, they’ve probably seen it, Ho said.

Ho’s staff must be able to identify everything from an amoeba to a zebra. “I found a Kenyan sand boa a long time ago,” he said of his personal experience.

He also noted that seizures “have increased a little bit – and a lot of that has to do with COVID.”

People sitting at home, some need money; and the Internet, a willing accomplice. “So they raised animals, fish, all sorts of things and a lot of people got really good at raising these animals and then they realized they could sell them themselves,” Ho said. “They’re sitting at home, they can’t work and a lot of people lost their jobs, so they figured out other ways to do it and they got good at it.”

Ho calls it a game of whack-a-mole where you take out a few rule breakers, only to find that more come in to take their place. “It’s constant. I think people are trying to ship, and we’re constantly trying to ban all these things that come into the state. People finding ways around the regulations is always frustrating, right?”

If you see an illegal animal, call the toll-free PEST HOTLINE at 808-643-PEST. If you own an illegal animal and want to turn it in, you can do so through the state Amnesty Program.

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