India, Oct. 27 -- An attempt to solve one wildlife problem on a remote Japanese island created another. A small carnivore introduced to control venomous snakes multiplied, spread through the forests, and began preying on species conservationists were trying to protect. Decades later, removing it required an island-wide campaign involving traps, cameras, detection dogs, and years of monitoring.

According to Japan's Ministry of the Environment, around 30 small Indian mongooses were brought from Okinawa to Amami Oshima in 1979 and released near Naze to control habu vipers. By 2000, the mongoose population was estimated at 10,000. After years of intensive eradication work, the ministry declared the species eradicated from the island on Septe...