HILO, Hawaii (KHON2) — The indigenous wildlife of Hawaiʻi is some of the most endangered animals on the planet. Human activity has prompted a sped-up timeline for global warming, and our need to build and exploit rather than integrate and respect has led to some pretty disastrous situations for our wildlife.
This is certainly the case with the Hawaiʻi state bird, the nēnē.
The nēnē, also known as the Hawaiian goose, evolved from the Canada goose and is uniquely adapted to the Hawaiʻi’s Islands’ volcanic landscapes.
Physically, they featurie reduced webbing in its feet and a more upright posture.
The nēnē’s population dramatically declined due to hunting and introduced predators but has been gradually recovering due to extensive conservation efforts. It mainly inhabits Maui and Hawaiʻi Island and lives in shrubland and grassy areas.
With the introduction of cats to Hawaiʻi came other problems. Felines tend to be predatory; and while it is important to ensure cats are not eating nēnē goslings or nēnē eggs, their feces seems to be a pretty big issue for nēnē.
The Department of Land and Natural Resources has discovered that nēnē in Hilo have been exposed to toxoplasmosis.
Toxoplasmosis is an infection caused by the parasite Toxoplasma gondi. This parasite is commonly transmitted through cat feces or undercooked meat. It can cause serious complications in pregnant women and immunocompromised individuals, but it also kills nēnē.
The sad story of a nēnē gosling prompts action in a park in Hilo
“Like many family stories, this one begins with the mother. Mom is an adult female nēnē, one of Hawai‘i’s State Birds, banded NTC,” said a spokesperson for DLNR.
Last year, KHON2.com covered the abduction of a gosling nēnē on Hawaiʻi Island from Wailoa River State Recreation Area.
The story unfolded around one local family who saved the life of a gosling nēnē and saved the family from being torn apart. DLNR confirmed that the nēnē is still alive and thriving in the park.
But the nēnē problem doesn’t end there.
According to DLNR, they did post-mortem testing last week on a nēnē found dead. In the results, they have implicated toxoplasmosis as the cause of death of one of NTC’s goslings born this year.
The nēnē was exposed to cat feces at Queen Lili‘uokalani Park and Gardens, along Banyan Drive in Hilo. The DLNR said this is a popular spot where people are regularly feeding feral cats; this is also a popular spot amongst local nēnē populations who are eating right alongside the cats.
The problem that is occurring swirls around all the people who want to take care of wildlife. The DLNR said that folks in Hilo are feeding the cats where nēnē populations thrive, and the toxoplasmosis is killing the nēnē.
“They continue to feed the cats, and it doesn’t seem like the loss of the gosling has really made a difference in how often they feed,” commented Raymond McGuire, a wildlife biologist with the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW). “It’s frustrating because I know the community loves the nēnē, here. I got so many phone calls from people who were elated a nēnē hatched in the park. For a month, they [the nēnē family] looked happy, and people were happy because they get to see wildlife in their backyards.”
As a biologist with DLNR, McGuire has taken on the personal responsibilty of removing the paper plates full of cat food. He dumps the plates in the trash several days a week, several times a day in order to prevent the nēnē from being attracted to areas where toxoplasmosis thrives.
McGuire and DLNR are also working with local non-profit organizations to educate those who love cats. In this situation, it is not about destroying cats; it’s about ensuring that cats and nēnē have safer areas where diseases cannot be transmitted.
“There’s a disconnect between feral cat feeders, who obviously love animals,” said McGuire. “Their actions harm and kill wild animals like nēnē. We don’t want to go after them with fines and citations. But their actions are having a clear effect on our native wildlife and our threatened endangered wildlife. Not just nēnē, but monk seals. And not just toxoplasmosis, but cats attack and eat native birds. We want people to understand there’s a place for these cats. Keep them home. Never abandon a cat.”
Working with the non-profits to educate and save nēnē
The question that is being asked of residents in the is by both wildlife managers and a new non-profit, known as Nēnē Research and Conservation (NRC), is:
“What do you want in the future. Do you want more cat colonies, or do you actually want to see native wildlife in your backyard?”
Nēnē Research and Conservation
NRC’s Jordan Lerma is attempting to promote a shift in the conversation.
“My primary job is as a marine biologist with Cascadia Research. We were troubled with the difficulty of reaching segments of the community with good conservation practices,” said Lerma. “Nēnē are an easy species to connect the community to conservation. I think the cat community are animal lovers and I think they mean well. We just need to be able to work together to solve these hard problems that prioritize native species.”
Lerma’s non-profit is attempting to unite both of these animal-loving sides of the issue. He want to find solutions that both parties can buy into and propagate.
DLNR said that Lerma’s nonprofit had previously taken on the task of facilitating discussions with cat groups after interactions at Queen’s Marketplace at Waikoloa when they reached a boiling point in 2023.
There were several heated encounters with officers from the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) and dozens of people who’d been feeding cats regularly. Lerma’s work led to a reduction of cat and nēnē interactions in the area.
“I think a lot of these people are putting their life savings on the line to care for these animals that they love. I want to acknowledge and respect that. We want to facilitate these conversations with county, state, and federal officials in order to give these people the resources they need to be able to remove, eliminate, or reduce cat interactions with native species,” Lerma added.
NRC has introduced a cat mapping tool to get a better idea of the extent of feral cat populations in different areas. They have found an estimated 500,000 to 1,000,000 cats on Hawai‘i Island alone.