4/23/24 ā DEATH OF NÄNÄ GOSLING IN HILO PARK POINTS TO DISEASE CARRIED BY FERAL CATS
Posted on Apr 23, 2024 in Forestry & Wildlife, Main, News Releases, slider
JOSH GREEN, M.D. GOVERNOR |
DAWN CHANG |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 23, 2024
DEATH OF NÄNÄ GOSLING IN HILO PARK POINTS TO DISEASE CARRIED BY FERAL CATS
Click on photo to view video
(HILO, HAWAIāI ISLAND) ā Toxoplasmosis, an infection spread only in the feces of feral cats, is likely what killed a nÄnÄ gosling last month in LiliŹ»uokalani Park and Gardens.
The DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) sent the diseased bird to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) National Wildlife Health Center for a necropsy (animal autopsy).
āThis tragic incident highlights the problem of having feral cat colonies in areas that are known habitat for endangered or threatened species,ā noted DLNR Chair Dawn Chang. āToxoplasmosis, or Ź»toxoā for short, according to the USGS, continues to be the chief cause of death for infectious diseases for nÄnÄ and critically endangered Hawaiian monk seals. We must keep cats out of native wildlife habitats or weāre likely to see more deaths among Hawaiāiās State Bird population,ā Chang added.
Raymond McGuire, the DOFAW biologist who collected the gosling and sent it to the lab to determine cause of death, has studied and worked with nÄnÄ for decades. He said nÄnÄ have particularly strong familial bonds and thereās one thing about this goslingās death that is especially sad.
The goslingās mother, tagged as NTC, was the same bird that had another chick taken from her by a woman at another Hilo park in March, 2023. āWe know cat lovers are animal lovers. Weāre encouraging people who are feeding cats, sometimes in very large colonies, to consider the deadly consequences. We know, as animal lovers, their hearts are in the right place, but in addition to caring for wild cat populations please consider the tragic impacts imposed on two of the most iconic wildlife species in Hawaiāi, nÄnÄ and monk seals. Open your hearts to them above non-native species like cats,ā McGuire said.
Jordan Lerma, with the nonprofit NÄnÄ Research & Conservation added, āWhile it is well-known that a feral cat colony exists at LiliŹ»uokalani Park and Gardens, addressing this issue proves to be highly polarizing. In HawaiŹ»i, attempts to manage feral cats often face strong animosity, making progress seem daunting. Our experiences with cat colony managers during the events at Queenās Marketplace underscore these challenges. We hope to circumvent much of that backlash and focus on solutions that can benefit both conservation efforts and feral cats. We support legislation aimed at reducing pet abandonment, which includes requiring spaying/neutering for cats older than three months and mandatory microchipping. Additionally, we advocate to make it illegal to feed feral cats on HawaiŹ»i County property to prevent the misconception that abandoned cats will be cared for.ā
At Queenās Marketplace in the Waikoloa resort last year, officers from the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) ordered feral cat feeding to stop, at the request of the shopping centerās owners. NÄnÄ were eating cat food right alongside a large population of wandering cats.
The nonprofit Friends of LiliŹ»uokalani Gardens has put up signs cautioning visitors that it is illegal to touch, harass, feed, or harm a nÄnÄ. āBy feeding feral cats, people are clearly harming and killing nÄnÄ, perhaps inadvertently, but the outcome is the same,ā Chang commented.
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RESOURCES
(All images/video courtesy or via: DLNR)
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HD video ā HD video ā NÄnÄ family released (April 6, 2023):
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Photographs ā NÄnÄ NTC and 595 (from NÄnÄ Research & Conservation):
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Media Contact:
Dan Dennison
Communications Director