HILO (HawaiiNewsNow) – An infection spread in the feces of feral cats is likely to blame for what killed a nene gosling at Liliuokalani Park and Gardens in Hilo last month, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources said.
“Toxoplasmosis, or ʻtoxo’ for short, continues to be the chief cause of death for infectious diseases for nene,” DLNR Chair Dawn Chang said, in a statement.
The DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife sent the diseased bird to the United States Geological Survey for a necropsy (animal autopsy).
The disease is also toxic for Hawaiian monk seals.
Keeping cats out of native wildlife habitats can limit the number of deaths in Hawaii’s state bird population, DLNR officials said.
Raymond McGuire, a DOFAW biologist, has studied and worked with nene for decades. He said they have strong familial bonds, which makes the death especially sad.
The gosling’s mother was the same bird that had another chick taken from her at another Hilo park in March 2023.
“We are encouraging people who are feeding cats, sometimes in very large colonies, to consider the deadly consequences,” McGuire said.
In Hawaii, attempts to manage feral cats have faced strong hostility.
Shopping center owners asked the officers from the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement to order a stop for feral cat feeding.
Some nene were eating cat food, causing further illness.
Nonprofit organizations like Friends of the Liliuokalani Gardens have put up signs telling visitors it is illegal to touch, harass, feed, or harm a nene.
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