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As acquaintances begin, flocks of feral cats emerge from the shadows of parked trucks and bushes. subaru Forester pulls into a trash can in Hawaii big IslandThey run after a vehicle for a certain meal – a gravy train that may not last much longer,
A Hawaii County law that took effect at the beginning of the new year prohibits feeding wild animals on county property. It is an effort to protect native species such as the endangered swan called the Nene from a super predator brought to the islands by Europeans in the 18th century.
But this solution doesn’t sit well with many cat lovers, including Liz Swann, the driver of the Subaru, who has been feeding feral cats on the Big Island for 33 years.
“I don’t think cats should be exterminated at the expense of Nene,” Swann said. “They’re both living beings.”
It is unclear how many feral cats – abandoned pets and their descendants – remain on the Big Island. It is estimated that there are thousands of people, with support from people in dense colonies. Opponents of the ban say it would hinder their efforts to control the population by trapping and sterilizing animals — and then leaving hungry cats to hunt them for food.
various types of threats
About 200 cats live at the Kealakehe Transfer Station and Recycling Center, not far from the bustling tourist district. KonaSwan shows up every late afternoon with water and kibble, and says she has never seen Nene near a litter box, Despite living among garbage, the cats there appear generally healthy, most of them missing the tips of their ears, indicating that they have been spayed or neutered,
Biologists say cats threaten native species both directly – by killing them – and indirectly. Eat Items left out for cats can attract native animals, bringing them into close contact with humans. Cat feces can also spread a parasite that causes toxoplasmosis, a disease that has killed endangered Hawaiian monk seals and native birds.
Last year, a male Nene – called “Neh-Neh” – was hit and killed by a car as he crossed a road in Hilo, on the eastern side of the island, to reach a cat feeding station. The state Department of Land and Natural Resources announced this month that the swan’s surviving partner, who also died of toxoplasmosis in 2024, has recently taken on another mate and is building a nest in Hilo Park.
The department said the county’s dining restrictions will help protect them.
A Hawaiian biologist’s perspective
State wildlife biologist Raymond McGuire recently investigated nene nesting sites among barren black-rock areas near a shopping center at the Waikoloa Resort. It is not their traditional habitat, but they have seen geese flying in to pick up food – risking being hit by cars – and last year some nested there.
As he came closer, a pair of cat’s eyes began to peek out from a crack in the lava rock. cats Coming out of their corners, perhaps they mistook him for someone who might offer food.
McGuire was relieved to see that there was no Nene nearby – but was disappointed by evidence the cats were being fed: empty water bowls and aluminum pans.
She owns a cat – “My favorite animal is a cat” – but as a Hawaiian whose love of nature inspired her to do conservation work, she believes there is no place for them where native species are struggling to survive.
“There are a lot of birds that my kids will never see that I got to see,” he said, referring to the local forest birds. “I think about our ancestors and I wonder: Are we honoring them in what we do? Because they took steps to protect them.”
Feral cats are a problem in many places, McGuire said, but Hawaii’s sensitive ecosystem is full of species that evolved without mammalian predators, making them especially vulnerable.
‘I felt bad for the cats’
Hawaiian culture is closely linked to the animals of Hawaii; Big Island Mayor Kimo Almeida said aumakua, or ancestral spirit guides, can take the form of animals. His family’s aumakua is a shark, he said.
After the County Council passed the measure with a veto-proof 6–2 vote, Alameda decided to let it take effect without his signature. Opponents convinced him that it would harm the cats.
“I had a soft spot for it,” he said. “I felt bad for the cats.”
The debate was so controversial, Almeida said, that some opponents sent him hate messages.
The mayor said he expected police to make enforcement a lower priority. Violations are fined up to $50 for the first offense and up to $500 for subsequent offenses.
Will the ban prompt feeders to operate clandestinely?
For Makala Kaumoana – a cultural practitioner on the island of Kauai who works to preserve Hawaiian cultural traditions – the answer is simple.
Trapping, neutering and releasing cats doesn’t matter because they can still hunt, he said.
“The cats have to be removed,” she said.
Debbie Cravatta, who feeds cats in her West Hawaii neighborhood, questioned why.
“It’s a native species – why does she rule over a domestic cat that someone abandoned while pregnant and had six kittens?” Cravatta said. “Why is that life more valuable than this life?”
Opponents also argue that a ban could only drive food efforts underground.
“I’m not going to let them starve,” Swann said.
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Kelleher reported from Honolulu.