Hawaii authorities cite 2 women accused of harming endangered native geese by feeding feral cats
Fox News
Two women who were feeding feral cats in Hawaii were cited for allegedly harming the island’s endangered nene. The geese species has been seen eating the cat food from feeding stations.
The nene geese are listed as an endangered species under Hawaii state law and a threatened species under U.S. law.
Stray cats have no predators in Hawaii, and their numbers have ballooned. Marketing research commissioned by the Hawaiian Humane Society in 2015 estimated Oahu alone had 300,000 feral cats.
The department earlier this month sent a letter to Alexander & Baldwin, the owner of Queens' Marketplace Shopping Center, saying nene had been observed eating food from the feeding stations and spending time among the felines there. It said cat food is not a natural part of the nene diet, and eating at the feeding stations habituates nene to people and makes them reliant on the provided food.