04/12/23 – NĒNĒ FEEDING AT HAWAI'I ISLAND SHOPPING CENTER TO END

JOSH GREEN, M.D. GOVERNOR DAWN CHANG CHAIRPERSON For Immediate Release:  April 12, 2023 NĒNĒ FEEDING AT HAWAI‘I ISLAND SHOPPING CENTER TO END  To view video please click on photo or view at this link: https://vimeo.com/816950826 (WAIKOLOA, HAWAI‘I) – The DLNR has directed the removal of cat-feeding stations located at a Hawai’i Island shopping center, following complaints that the endangered Hawai‘i state bird, the nēnē (Hawaiian goose), are being negatively impacted by the consumption of cat food and close contact with feral cats. While Queens’ Marketplace did not install the feeding stations (located in the back parking lot), it has agreed to remove them. The stations will be returned to the nonprofit organization that feeds the feral cats located throughout the Waikoloa Beach Resort community. In a letter sent to Alexander & Baldwin (A&B), the owner of the Queens’ Marketplace, on Tuesday, DLNR Chair Dawn Chang noted, “The endangered nēnē have been observed consuming the cat food and regularly spending time among the feral cat colony which has resulted in harm to nēnē.” The DLNR letter cites numerous potential impacts to the federally threatened species, and state-listed endangered species including: Cat food is a not a natural diet item for nēnē.
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