Nēnē, Hawaiian Goose

"Our remaining goose is also a herbivore. Though it is a strong and frequent flyer, its short wings, long legs and reduced webbing between its toes indicate that it often walks and seldom swims . . . Populations were drastically reduced by introduced predators such as mongooses, cats and dogs; by foraging animals such as cattle, goats and pigs; by hunters; by introduced plants which compete with native food and cover plants; and by loss of lowland habitat . . . But several factors hinder population increases. Mongooses and feral cats kill adults and goslings. Automobiles hit and kill nene along roadways. Nēnē that are attracted to the grassy fairways of golf courses suffer injury or death by errant golf balls. In upland habitats, nutrition is usually not adequate for gosling growth requirements. Nēnē will probably always need our help to survive. Currently, park staff use a variety of techniques to improve nēnē breeding success: controlling predators in nesting habitat, mowing pastures, closing sensitive brooding areas to the public, and maintaining predator-resistant enclosures in which free-flying birds can rest, feed, or nest. We continue to search for improved and more efficient ways to encourage population growth. . . Watch for nēnē on roads. Cars are the leading cause of adult nēnē deaths in the park. DO NOT FEED the nēnē. Nēnē that are fed by visitors learn to beg for food and approach moving cars."

“With recent rains on the west side, reports of Nene crossing the highway in Kekaha have increased dramatically. Nene regularly cross the road in the evening and early morning hours making it even more important to be on the lookout during these times. Nene remain with their mates for life and travel with their families during this time of year. After a Nene is killed on a road the remaining family members are often unwilling to leave the body, resulting in multiple birds being killed over a short period of time.”

“For the first time since the 1700s, a pair of the endangered Hawaiian geese are calling Oahu home. The pair have nested and successfully hatched three goslings at the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge near Kahuku, Oahu. It is possible more birds will arrive on Oahu in the future, particularly in places that provide safe and protected habitat like national wildlife refuges.”

"Safe harbor agreements like the Baldwins’ allow private property owners to help endangered species recover through a government partnership, with the landowners providing the safe habitat space essential for endangered species. They aren’t paid or given tax breaks, but they are protected in case of any accidents involving the species. A detailed plan is laid out—this can take months to years to finalize—on how they will manage their land to suit the species and protect it from predators. The first agreement for nēnē was signed in 2001 by a ranch on Moloka‘i, followed by Pi‘iholo Ranch in 2004. . . At Pi‘iholo, more than 100 birds were released over the next decade during a time when there were no other nēnē in the area. Some wild ones would show up and breed with the ranch’s banded females, increasing the population."

"The Nene population on Kaua'i started from a small captive flock inadvertently freed during hurricane Iwa in 1982, with subsequent supplementary introductions of additional captive birds. These Nene mostly frequent lowland areas, suggesting that the species may prefer and fare better at lower elevations. But on Maul and Hawai'i, Nene inhabit primarily higher elevations, an have much poorer success raising young. Kaua'i is the only main island without mongoose, which may be a factor in the Nene remaining at low elevations there."

“By June 1978, 1,761 captive-reared Nēnē had been released on the islands of Hawaii and Maui . . . Carriage on the back of Boy Scouts or of personnel of the State Division of Fish and Game has been replaced by a mule pack-train and, during 1972, by a helicopter.”

The nēnē was listed as an endangered species in 1967 under the Federal Endangered Species Act.

Population plummets to 20-30 birds in the wild. “An intercontinental effort to save the species from extinction was launched . . . Herbert Shipman sent three Big Island nēnē to the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust in Great Britain . . . Kamehameha IV, Queen Emma, and Queen Kapiolani went on to raise 103 goslings, jump-starting a new breeding population.”

“The Territorial Board of Agriculture and Forestry through its Fish and Game Warden, has been working . . . in an effort to preserve this interesting species from extinction. Large, well-made notices . . . have been placed along the highways. It has become a duty of every one to cooperate in the movement to preserve Hawaii's noble bird-the Hawaiian goose or Nēnē.”

“The Nēnē was protected in Hawaii in 1907, when about 50 birds remained.”

“. . . the nēnē is rapidly diminishing in numbers. The time will inevitably come, and that soon, when this goose will need protection from sportsmen to save it from its otherwise inevitable fate of extermination.”

"The weird cry of the Nene . . . is very distinct from that of any other species that I know; and in olden times the bird was kept in captivity by the natives, acting as a sentinel by giving loud warning of the advent of a stranger.”

“Although they are found only on the highlands of Hawaii and Maui, their number admits of the annual slaughter of several hundred without sensible diminution.”

“On our way to the sulphur banks, we saw two flocks of wild geese, which came down from the mountains . . . The natives informed us there were vast flocks in the interior, although they were never seen near the sea."