Tale of the small Indian mongoose Urva auropunctata (Hodgson, 1836) in the West Indies: an introduction with major societal and ecological consequences

Between 1870 and 1900, planters introduced the small Indian mongoose, Urva auropunctata (Hodgson, 1836), in sugar-producing islands of the West Indies to control rats as well as venomous snakes in the two islands where they were present. Today, this species is part of ecosystems and agrosystems of a large number of islands. Here, we reviewed the history of its introductions to Trinidad, Jamaica and the French West Indies, through reading available documents. We corrected or specified some dates of introduction. After claiming introduction of mongoose, West Indian colonial societies soon denounced negative consequences, relating to its presence and looked for effective control methods. Regarding insular ecosystems functioning and biodiversity, it is dear that presence of this introduced mammalian predator had an important impact on densities of many local species, which may have contributed to the extinction of some of them.

Automated summary

In the late 19th century, planters in the West Indies introduced the small Indian mongoose to control rats and venomous snakes, but this led to negative consequences, including potentially contributing to the extinction of some local species.