Japan has eradicated all mongoose populations on a subtropical island after the species ignored the venomous snakes they were supposed to hunt and began preying on the local endangered rabbit.
About 30 mongooses, which have a natural resistance to venom, were released on Amami Oshima Island, a UNESCO World Heritage site, in the late 1970s to control the habu snake population, a venomous pit viper that can be deadly, according to AFP. However, the snakes are primarily nocturnal while the mongooses sleep at night, leading the mammals to switch to preying on the local Amami rabbit, resulting in a significant decline in the rabbit population.
Mongooes eat rabbits instead of hunting venomous snakes on Amami Oshima Island. (Photo: AFP).
“Mongooses are more active during the day, which reduces their encounters with the nocturnal habu snakes,” a local authority stated.
The Amami rabbit is unique to Amami Oshima Island and another nearby island, and it is listed as endangered in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. Meanwhile, the mongoose population exploded, reaching 10,000 by the year 2000. Japanese authorities initiated a mongoose eradication program, including specially trained scent detection dogs. The Japanese government announced the island was free of mongooses on September 3, nearly 25 years after the program began and almost 50 years after the initiative was first proposed.
“This is great news for the conservation of the precious ecosystem on Amami Island,” shared Governor Koichi Shiota. “There are many lessons we should learn from the impact mongooses have had on the native ecosystem, as well as the efforts and costs required to eliminate them.”
Mongooes are small carnivorous mammals primarily found in Africa, but they also inhabit southern Asia and Europe. They are known for their bold attacks on larger animals, often preying on lizards, insects, and venomous snakes. According to New Scientist, mongooses evade snake strikes by moving very quickly. They are not affected by snake venom due to specialized acetylcholine receptors that are immune to the toxins.
Over 37,000 invasive species are spreading across the globe from their native homes, causing damages of up to $400 billion annually, according to a 2023 United Nations report.
