UPDATE – (6 a.m. on Wednesday, September 14)

• The Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources says it has unable to make any determinations following reports of a “big cat” sighting on Hawaiʻi island.
• There were no follow-up sightings by DLNR staff in Hōlualoa, where the possible animal was first reported. Other alleged sightings around the Big Island were deemed unlikely due to the distances involved.

From the Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources:

The DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) has looked into reports of a ‘big cat’, but without clear photographs or video it’s impossible to make any determinations. DOFAW staff maintained bait stations and game cameras for three-weeks in the Hōlualoa area, where an animal was first photographed. Staff only saw pigs and small cats in their images. Sightings reported from all over Hawai’i Island, are unlikely due to the distances and terrain even a large animal would need to traverse. The Hawaiʻi Dept. of Agriculture (DOA) has authority over this type of situation. Please direct inquiries to DOA.