| A beloved character in literature, thanks to Rudyard Kipling's story of Rikki-tikki-tavi, the lesser Indian mongoose, Herpestes javanicus, is less endearing in the flesh. Through no fault of its own, it has been carried by people to many parts of the world outside its native range of southern Asia. The purpose of the introductions was to control rats on sugarcane plantations. Unfortunately, the mongoose soon proved adept at controlling many other kinds of animals, including ground-nesting birds and innocuous native reptiles and mammals. For this, it is now considered a scourge in the islands of the Caribbean, Hawaii, and Fiji Islands. |
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