HONOLULU (AP) — Feral cats have been blamed for the recent deaths of endangered seabirds found only in the Hawaiian Islands.
Researchers discovered the bodies of six Hawaiian Petrels at a nature reserve on Kauai last week. The birds were all found to have been dragged from their breeding burrows by feral carts and partially eaten. One of the encounters was captured on a monitoring camera.
Wildlife officials say 48 endangered birds have been found dead in their breeding colony at the reserve in the past two years.
“Unfortunately these incidents continue to happen with regularity on Kauai,” said Dr. Andre Raine, project coordinator for the Kauai Endangered Seabird Recovery Project. “Feral cats are found all over our islands, even in the most remote and inaccessible regions. They are a significant threat to not only native seabirds, but a wide range of other endangered bird species.”
The Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources is working to protect the Hawaiian Petrels by installing fences to keep predators away and with other management projects. But officials recognize that those efforts may not be enough.
“The fact that we have cats slipping through highlights how dire the feral cat issue is on Kauai,” said Sheri Mann, the Kauai branch chief for the DLNR’s Division of Forestry and Wildlife. “Control efforts solely in wilderness areas are not enough to fully deal with this problem.”