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Mongooses

The small Indian mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus or H. javanicus) is indigenous to southern Asia, but has been introduced into South America, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and many other islands around the world (Nellis and Everard 1983, Long 2003). Other species have been introduced to other parts of the world (Long 2003).

Mongooses were usually introduced to new areas in an effort to control pests such as rodents and snakes. For example, the mongoose was introduced to the Caribbean Islands in 1872 and to the Hawaiian Islands in 1883 in an attempt to control introduced rats on sugarcane plantations (Pimental et al. 2000). However, while they may kill some rodents, mongooses are mainly active during the day, whereas rats are primarily active at night. As a result, they are mostly useless as a means of rodent damage control.

Mongooses use many habitats (usually semiarid open grasslands, shrublands, savannah, and the edges of villages and towns) and feed on a wide variety of vertebrate, invertebrate, and plant foods (Long 2003). They have long been considered responsible for the extirpation and extinction of many terrestrial vertebrate species on islands around the world (Seaman and Randall 1962, Long 2003). The successful reintroduction of some endangered species (such as the St. Croix ground lizard, Ameiva polops) is dependent on eradication of mongooses on select islands (Nellis et al. 1978).

Pimental et al. (2000) estimated that the mongoose causes about $50 million in damages each year in Hawaii and Puerto Rico, including significant losses in poultry production on islands (Long 2003). Additionally, the mongoose is a major vector and reservoir of rabies and leptospirosis on Puerto Rico and other islands (Pimental et al. 2000). Trapping and toxic baits placed in bait stations are the main methods used for control and eradication of mongoose, although success has usually been marginal (Roy et al. 2002, Quinn and Whisson 2004). Development of an oral rabies vaccine for mongoose is also considered an important research goal (Quinn and Whisson 2004).

Above Summary taken from:

WITMER, G., B. CONSTANTIN, AND F. BOYD. 2005. Feral and introduced carnivores: issues and challenges. Proceedings of the Wildlife Damage Management Conference 11:90-101.

Literature Cited

LONG, J. 2003. Introduced mammals of the world. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, Victoria, Australia.

NELLIS, D. W., N. EICHHOLZ, T. REGAN, AND C. FEINSTEIN. 1978. Mongoose in Florida. Wildlife Society Bulletin 6:249-250.

PIMENTAL, D., L. LECH, R. ZUNIGA, AND D. MORRISON. 2000. Environmental and economic costs associated with non-indigenous species in the United States. BioScience 50:53-65.

QUINN, J., AND D. WHISSON. 2004. The mongoose in the Carribean: past management and future challenges. Proceedings of the Vertebrate Pest Conference 21:31-36.

ROY, S., C. JONES, AND S. HARRIS. 2002. An ecological basis for control of the mongoose in Mauritius: Is eradication possible? Pages 266-273 in C. Veitch and M. Clout, editors. Turning the tide: The eradication of invasive species. World Conservation Union (IUCN), Gland, Switzerland.

SEAMAN, G., AND J. RANDALL. 1962. The mongoose as a predator in the Virgin Islands. Journal of Mammalogy 43:544