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Ha ha... I'm quite sure that's not the correct plural for mongoose. I'm an animal lover as much, probably more than the next person. We were talking to a guy over Easter dinner and he told us about trapping mongooses in his backyard which was overrun with the vermin. He tried to get rid of them but no one would take them. Someone instructed him to drown them and he did. If you poison them or trap them in an inhumane trap (not a live trap) would that be better?
Mongooses are not indigenous to the islands, were put here to eat rats, an attempt that failed since the mongooses sleep at night when the rats are active. The mongoose eats native birds ... I'm sure there are other negative things about them.
My question is: what if the mongoose killer friend of mine (and btw, my significant other has decided to NOT consider this guy a friend) had taken them to the beach homeless. They always have bonfires going. Would they consider eating them? Seriously. In Mississippi the locals eat all kinds of road kill. In Louisiana they hunt some giant swamp rodent and sell them to the govt where they're served to homeless. I really think it could be a win win (for everyone but the mongoose)
YES they're cute in a creepy, rodent-like way. I've never been into ferrets. Anyone have any mongoose recipes? I see them every day and saw one dead on the road (a sail-mongoose as it were) just today.
Mongooses are not indigenous to the islands, were put here to eat rats, an attempt that failed since the mongooses sleep at night when the rats are active. The mongoose eats native birds ... I'm sure there are other negative things about them.
I wish people would stop doing stupid stuff like this. Thinking it's a "natural" solution. They need to do their research first.
Sure, anyone can eat almost anything. I've eaten guinea pig on a few occasions, down in the Andes, where it's considered a delicacy. Do Mongooses have much meat on 'em?
From National Geographic:
Mongooses live in burrows and are nondiscriminatory predators, feeding on small animals such as rodents, birds, reptiles, frogs, insects, andworms. Some species supplement their diet with fruits, nuts, and seeds. Creative hunters, they are known to break open bird eggs by throwing them with their forepaws toward a solid object.
They'll eat snakes. Do they help keep the snake population under control? Does Hawaii have snakes?
Agreed and if you look at the Kudzu in Mississippi... WOW it can overrun a whole structure, not to mention acres of property. Yes it stopped erosion and also whole stands of mature pine trees.
Not sure about the meat on a mongoose. I'm sure they'd stew down okay.
They'll eat snakes. Do they help keep the snake population under control? Does Hawaii have snakes?
Quote:
The blind snake is one of two species of snakes found in Hawaii, the other being the yellow-bellied sea snake, a rare visitor to Hawaiian waters. The blind snake usually goes unnoticed due to its burrowing lifestyle and its superficial resemblance to worms. Snakes in Hawaii ! | Pacific Island National Parks
Most people will never see either one, but yes, mongooses will eat both if they have the chance.
Quote:
The non-native brown tree snake poses a serious danger to Hawaii’s delicate ecosystem and human life. As an invasive species, brown tree snakes come to the islands via unmonitored cargo hulls, ballast water, and lucrative black-market reptile operations. These snakes and other reptiles are already illegal in Hawaii due to the havoc they can wreck on Hawaii’s fragile ecosystem and rich culture. Silent Spring: Stop the Brown Tree Snake
We HOPE the mongooses will eat these. They are highly invasive, and have devastated the bird population in Guam. Every once in a while they are found at the Honolulu airport, having hitched a ride in the undercarriage or cargo areas of planes coming in from Guam. So far most of them have been dead, and authorities believe they have prevented any colonization. Cross your fingers.
And as the previous quote alluded, there are a certain number of idiots who illegally keep pet snakes, and miscreants who pander to them. It is against the law to bring snakes in, to keep them, to breed them, but some people still do it. Here's a family that was keeping a 7 foot boa constrictor at home.
Drowning is a hard way to die. I consider that a cruel way to dispose of vermin. For home disposal, if the humane society will not take them and put them to sleep with an injection, perhaps a gas chamber could be made that would kill them with car exhaust.
Easiest would be to break their necks, but I don't know of they bite or not. You have to hold them in your hands to break their necks, so that won't work if they are biters.
Meat from predators tends to not be as good as meat from herbivores. If the mongooses smell musky the meat will taste similar to the animal's smell.
Guinea pig is closely related to rabbit and rabbit is excellent meat. I would expect guinea pig to be very similar to rabbit meat. Guinea pigs are very clean feeders and only eat clean plants and no garbage or anything foul. That makes fr clean meat.
"..smelly little predators.." Not very flattering OpenD. No love lost.
When I was in Kuwait the AF Entomology/Pest Control guys were ordered to drown any cats caught in their live traps. They didn't. But that was a recognized way to eliminate "pests" in their training courses.
I guess the homeless wouldn't benefit from mongooses. They don't sound too yummy.
The brown snake thing creeps me out. I applied to a job in Guam and we found out about the problem after that. Not sure I would have wanted to take that job. My other half is nearly phobic about snakes.
Do professional exterminators handle mongoose problems? I would call them first and check. I just see mongoose once in awhile, so not a problem for me, but with that many I can see how it would be an issue. Having a soft spot for animals, I would try to catch them in cages and release them somewhere unpopulated. That would solve my problem, but would eventually be someone elses, so not the greatest solution.
I don't know if mongoose would taste good, they don't look like they hold much meat, but I'd try it if given the chance. I don't know how well the idea of feeding the hungry mongoose would go over, but it would get rid of the mongoose and leave fewer people hungry. Even better, start using the fur to make clothing. Mongoose would be gone in no-time, some people would have food in their bellies and some money in their pocket, it's a win-win solution.
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If you poison them or trap them in an inhumane trap (not a live trap) would that be better? 
had taken them to the beach homeless. They always have bonfires going. Would they consider eating them? Seriously. In Mississippi the locals eat all kinds of road kill. In Louisiana they hunt some giant swamp rodent and sell them to the govt where they're served to homeless. I really think it could be a win win (for everyone but the mongoose) 
