Feeding ban to save endangered nene geese sparks outrage among Big Island cat advocates: ‘Both are living beings’

Dozens of feral cats come out from under parked trucks and bushes when a familiar Subaru Forester arrives at a landfill on Hawaii’s Big Island. They chase the vehicle toward a guaranteed dinner—a reliable source of sustenance that could soon disappear.

A Hawaii County ordinance, scheduled to begin at the start of the coming year, prohibits feeding wild animals on public land. The law aims to shield native wildlife, including an endangered goose known as the nene, from an apex predator brought to the islands by Europeans centuries ago.

However, the new rule has angered numerous cat enthusiasts, such as Subaru driver Liz Swan, who has provided food for stray cats on the Big Island for 33 years.

“I don’t believe the cats should be exterminated at the expense of the nene,” Swan stated. “They’re both living creatures.”

The exact number of feral cats—abandoned pets and their offspring—on the Big Island is unknown. Figures reach into the tens of thousands, with concentrated colonies sustained by human support. Critics of the ban contend it will hinder population control through trap-neuter-return programs and force hungry cats to seek prey.

A variety of threats

Roughly 200 cats reside at the Kealakehe Transfer Station and Recycling Center, near the popular Kona tourist area. Swan arrives each evening with water and dry food, noting she has never observed a nene goose near the site. Although they live among garbage, the cats are mostly healthy-looking, with many missing an ear tip, a sign they have been sterilized.

Biologists explain that cats endanger native species both directly through predation and indirectly. Cat food can draw in native wildlife, increasing their proximity to people. Additionally, cat waste can transmit a parasite responsible for toxoplasmosis, an illness that has proven fatal to endangered Hawaiian monk seals and local birds.

In the previous year, a male nene—pronounced “neh-neh”—was hit and killed by a car in Hilo while crossing a road to get to a cat feeding area. The goose’s mate, which also lost a gosling to toxoplasmosis this year, has now found a new partner and is nesting in a Hilo park, according to a recent state Department of Land and Natural Resources announcement.

The county’s feeding prohibition will aid in protecting the birds, the department added.

A Hawaiian biologist’s view

State wildlife biologist Raymond McGuire recently surveyed the stark black lava fields near a Waikoloa resort shopping complex for nene nesting areas. While not their natural environment, he has witnessed geese flying in to scavenge food—braving traffic—and some nested there last year.

During his visit, feline eyes watched from a crevice in the lava rock. Cats appeared from hiding spots, possibly thinking he had food.

McGuire was glad no nene were close by but annoyed by proof the cats are fed, such as empty water dishes and metal trays.

He owns a cat—”my favorite animal is a cat”—but as a Native Hawaiian whose passion for nature led him to conservation, he feels they cannot coexist where indigenous species are fighting for survival.

“There are so many birds my children will never see, that I got to see,” he said, speaking of native forest birds. “I think about my ancestors and I do wonder: Are we honoring them well in what we do? Because they did take steps to protect them.”

Feral cats pose issues globally, but Hawaii’s fragile ecosystem hosts many species that developed without mammal predators, leaving them particularly at risk, McGuire noted.

‘I felt bad for the cats’

Hawaiian culture is deeply connected to the islands’ animals; aumakua, or family guardian spirits, may manifest as animals, Big Island Mayor Kimo Alameda pointed out. His own family’s aumakua is the shark, he shared.

After the county council approved the measure by a veto-proof 6-2 margin, Alameda allowed it to become law without his signature. Opponents convinced him it would hurt the cats.

“I had a soft spot for that,” he admitted. “I felt bad for the cats.”

The dispute grew so heated that some critics sent him hostile messages, Alameda revealed.

The mayor expressed hope that police will treat enforcement as a low priority. Penalties include fines up to $50 for an initial violation and up to $500 for repeat offenses.

Will the ban prompt feeders to work in secret?

For Makaʻala Kaʻaumoana, a cultural practitioner dedicated to preserving Hawaiian traditions on Kauai, the answer is straightforward.

Trapping, neutering, and releasing cats is ineffective since they continue to hunt, she asserted.

“The cats have to be removed,” she said.

Debbie Cravatta, who feeds cats in her West Hawaii community, challenged this view.

“It’s a native species—why does that take precedence over a domestic cat that someone abandoned while pregnant and that then had six kittens in the wild?” Cravatta asked. “Why is that life more valuable than this life?”

Opponents further claim the ban may simply drive feeding activities out of sight.

“I’m not going to let them starve,” Swan declared.

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Kelleher reported from Honolulu.