Abstract
We confirmed the presence of the small Indian mongoose Herpestes auropunctatus, an invasive alien species, in 2 areas (Kagoshima City and Satsumasendai City) in Kagoshima prefecture mainland in 2006–2011. In Kagoshima City, mongooses were captured from July 2009 to August 2012. Auto-sensor cameras and hair traps were set at their habitat and its peripheral area in order to monitor the remaining mongooses or native animals during the same period. These results indicated that mongooses may have been extinct since March 2011. The size of the mongoose population in the city was as small as a total of 115 captured for two years. On the other hand, one mongoose was observed in Satsumasendai City in December 2011, and captured in February 2012. The mongoose in this city practically disappeared from the subsequent monitoring. The habitats of mongooses ware limited within the agricultural lands and thickets, and they did not exist in the peripheral forests for at least 30 years. This may be due to their limit of physiological adaptability for a low temperature in winter, and to the pressure of native Martes melampus as a competitor or predator. As the mongooses decreased by trapping, some native animals may be recovered.
