Mongooses eradicated on Japan's natural heritage Amami-Oshima Island

    TOKYO, Sept. 3 Kyodo - Japan's Environment Ministry on Tuesday declared mongooses have been eradicated from Amami-Oshima Island in southwestern Japan, decades after launching efforts to eliminate the invasive species that prey on native animals and damage the ecosystem of the World Natural Heritage site.

    The ministry's review panel analyzed data from camera images and traps on the Kagoshima Prefecture island before determining that they had been exterminated. The last time a mongoose was caught was in April 2018.

    The eradication of an invasive species on such a large island, measuring about 712 square kilometers, is considered unusual, according to the ministry.

    "This is an achievement that could contribute to the preservation of rare species and the natural heritage," Environment Minister Shintaro Ito said at a press conference.

    Kagoshima Gov. Koichi Shiota said in a statement that the eradication is truly positive "for the conservation of the precious ecosystem in Amami."

    About 30 mongooses were first introduced to the island in 1979 to combat habu, a type of venomous viper. But the release had minimal effect as the mongooses, which are active during the day, rarely came into contact with the nocturnal snakes.

    Their numbers surged to around 10,000 by the year 2000, causing damage to crops and native fauna. By 2001 to 2002, the number of Amami rabbits, a special national treasure, had plummeted to approximately 20 percent of the population before the introduction of mongooses.

    But Amami rabbits have been caught on camera more frequently in recent years, raising hopes that their number is steadily on the rise.

    The ministry began the full-scale extermination of mongooses in 2000, designating them an invasive species in 2005. A specialized group formed to eradicate the mammals installed up to 30,000 traps on the island, and introduced the country's first mongoose-sniffer dog in 2007.

    In Japan, mongooses are also considered as invasive in Okinawa and efforts to eradicate them are continuing in the island prefecture.

==Kyodo