Traps for big cat
attract human interlopersState biologists warn people to
steer clear of bait set out on Maui
WAILUKU >> State wildlife officials said they have found signs of human interference in and around traps baited to catch a large cat -- possibly a jaguar or leopard -- in a lower Olinda gulch.
State wildlife biologist Fern Duvall warned yesterday that if interference continues, it will cause the animal to leave the Olinda area in Upcountry Maui and make the traps useless.
"Interference from people who are tampering with the traps, adding their own choice of bait and entering the search and trapping area hinders our efforts to capture the animal," said Duvall, an official with the state Department of Land & Natural Resources on Maui.
Duvall, who has said the animal may be a jaguar or leopard, noted that it was not safe for people to be sightseeing or looking for the animal.
"Safe capture will involve tranquilizing the animal, but veterinary tranquilizers are only available to state officials and not to the public," he said.
State official have been unable to record the animal on a motion-sensitive camera, but they have found animal feces, which will be analyzed for identification. The feces as well as tracks were found close to a home near one of the traps.
State officials are monitoring the traps daily.
The last sighting of a large cat was by a resident last Tuesday.
Meanwhile, area residents are urged to exercise caution for themselves, family, livestock and pets and to immediately report sightings or unusual events to the state Division of Forestry and Wildlife, 808-873-3502, or Maui Police Dispatch, 244-6400.