State urges caution after nene killed by cars on Maui road
State biologists are urging drivers to watch out for nene after two of the endangered birds were struck and killed by cars on A‘alele Street near the Kahului Airport on Tuesday afternoon, according to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.
A former DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife employee found the bonded pair of nene on the road. The female was dead, and the male died a short time later. DLNR said the male may have been struck after the female while trying to stay near its partner. Nene commonly stay close to their mates or goslings after they’ve been injured.
Nene nesting season coincides with the holiday travel and shopping season, according to DLNR. Paved roads resemble lava flows that the birds’ ancestors evolved on, and their large size makes it difficult for them to launch into flight quickly. Nene adults and goslings may be crossing busy roads now through April. Adults molt and replace flight feathers at this same time each year, and juveniles are not ready to fly.
Nene prefer grassy areas, so parks and golf courses are magnets for them. People can also protect nene by keeping dogs leashed at beach parks and near golf courses, and by not feeding them.
Stephanie Franklin, a DOFAW biologist on Maui, estimates there are about 15 nene in the busy core area of Kahului, moving between Kanaha Pond Wildlife Sanctuary, Kanaha Beach Park and nearby grassy areas.
“We’re so lucky to be able to see nene and three other endangered waterbirds species, right downtown,” Franklin said, noting that privilege means an added responsibility to share the space with the endemic wildlife of Hawaii.
Unique to the Hawaiian Islands, nene were on the brink of extinction with just 30 birds on Hawaii island in the 1900s, according to DLNR. Nene were reintroduced to Maui in the late 1960s within Haleakala National Park. Today there may be about 500 nene reclaiming old habitats of wetlands and grassy areas at all elevations on Maui.
To report injured nene on Maui, call (808) 984-8100 or, if in Haleakala National Park, (808) 985-6170.