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Barbados Mongoose
The Mongoose was brought to Barbados, and many other Caribbean islands from India by early the settlers.
Their plan was to get rid of the rats that were eating the sugar cane. The plan didn't work out too well because the mongoose slept all through the night while the rats were busy eating the sugar cane.
When the sun came up, the mongoose started hunting all the snakes they could find, and throughout the years the mongoose has made the island of Barbados snake free.
Another food item high on the mongoose diet are the eggs laid by the leatherback, hawksbill and green turtles.
All of these turtles are on the endangered list, so the mongoose has become a pest in many of the Caribbean islands where these turtles come back to lay their eggs.
The mongoose diet also includes insects, lizards, small animals and even crabs. They have no problem killing rats, but the two seldom meet due to their sleeping habits.
The mongoose is famous for their fearless attack on poisonous snakes like the Cobra.
Needless to say, the snakes that were on the island of Barbados did not stand a chance. If you go hiking on the island, snakes will not be an issue.
As for seeing a glimpse of the mongoose - good luck!
These little fellow are very fast, and the weasel is probably the best animal that would fit the mongoose description.
They are however always in a hurry, and they don't bother humans - except to raid your trash.
The best known mongoose is the animal portrayed in the Jungle Book story by Kipling called "Rikki Tikki Tavi", which is a story of a pet mongoose that defends his human family from the dangerous Cobra snakes.
It is illegal to import the mongoose into the United States. The mongoose population in Hawaii is widespread, and they have had a negative affect on the islands native species.