(BIVN) – The dying of a nēnē gosling final month in Hilo’s Liliʻuokalani Park and Gardens seems to have been attributable to toxoplasmosis, an an infection unfold solely within the feces of feral cats.
On Tuesday, the Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources reported the outcomes of a necropsy carried out on the gosling by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) National Wildlife Health Center.
“This tragic incident highlights the problem of having feral cat colonies in areas that are known habitat for endangered or threatened species,” famous DLNR Chair Dawn Chang.
“Toxoplasmosis, or ʻtoxo’ for short, according to the USGS, continues to be the chief cause of death for infectious diseases for nēnē and critically endangered Hawaiian monk seals. We must keep cats out of native wildlife habitats or we’re likely to see more deaths among Hawai‘i’s State Bird population,” Chang added.
From the DLNR information launch:
Raymond McGuire, the DOFAW biologist who collected the gosling and despatched it to the lab to find out reason for dying, has studied and labored with nēnē for many years. He stated nēnē have significantly robust familial bonds and there’s one factor about this gosling’s dying that’s particularly unhappy.
Photo through Hawaiʻi DLNR (by Nēnē Research & Conservation)
The gosling’s mom, tagged as NTC, was the identical chicken that had one other chick taken from her by a lady at one other Hilo park in March, 2023. “We know cat lovers are animal lovers. We’re 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 Hawai‘i, nēnē and monk seals. Open your hearts to them above non-native species like cats,” McGuire stated.
Jordan Lerma, with the nonprofit Nēnē Research & Conservation added, “While it is well-known that a feral cat colony exists at Liliʻuokalani Park and Gardens, addressing this issue proves to be highly polarizing. In Hawaiʻi, attempts to manage feral cats often face strong animosity, making progress seem daunting. Our experiences with cat colony managers during the events at Queen’s 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 Hawaiʻi County property to prevent the misconception that abandoned cats will be cared for.”
At Queen’s Marketplace within the Waikoloa resort final yr, officers from the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) ordered feral cat feeding to cease, on the request of the purchasing heart’s homeowners. Nēnē had been consuming cat meals proper alongside a big inhabitants of wandering cats.
Photo from car parking zone of Queen’s Marketplace within the Waikoloa courtesy Kuleana Communications
The nonprofit Friends of Liliʻuokalani Gardens has put up indicators cautioning guests that it’s unlawful to the touch, harass, feed, or hurt a nēnē. “By feeding feral cats, people are clearly harming and killing nēnē, perhaps inadvertently, but the outcome is the same,” Chang commented.
