Pests and Stars from Madagascar Make Their Way to Honolulu

This weekend, we went to the Honolulu Zoo with the entire family for a Ohana Field Trip!

The kids found a lot of interesting animals, and there was a brilliant green reptile that stood out in particular: the Madagascar Giant Day Gecko.

My son recently found one of them hanging out in our garage, so after our trip to the zoo, we did a little research on the Internet to see what's going on.

Apparently, these geckos somehow made their way to Hawaii--probably due to pet trade. In a Hawaii News Now article, "Beware, Madagascar Giant Day Gecko Bites!", we are instructed to call agriculture officials at their Pest Hotline, 808-643-PEST, whenever we find one, as they compete with the native birds for the same food source.

Now, we know.

Speaking of Madagascar, we did have a few Madagascar celebrity sightings while at the Honolulu Zoo!

King Julien

Alex

Milton

Marty