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Hawaii Island and New Zealand vs introduced predators

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  • Hawaii Island and New Zealand vs introduced predators

    So what does Hawaii Island have in common with New Zealand when it comes to their native birds? Both have non-native predators that are endangering the bird populations.

    On Hawaii Island's Mauna Loa there is a new 5-mile-long fence built specifically to keep feral cats out of the area where endangered Hawaiian petrels breed on Mauna Loa. The Washington Post informs us:
    To protect the petrels, the National Park Service and other organizations spent more than three years flying in people and materials to build the cat-proof barrier, a 6-foot-tall fence topped with a curved section that even the wiliest kitty is not supposed to be able to scale. It’s the longest anti-cat fence in the United States, and it encloses 600 acres of 8,000- to 10,000-foot-high terrain that petrels, also known as ‘u’au, now view as choice breeding territory.
    Meanwhile, according to another Washington Post article:
    New Zealand, he said, has adopted the “ambitious goal” of eradicating its soil of rats, possums, stoats and all other invasive mammals by 2050. The name of the plan: Predator Free New Zealand.
    The goal is "a full wipeout of introduced predators, which the government says kill 25 million native birds a year and spread diseases to cattle and deer". As on Mauna Kea, feral cats in New Zealand are also identified as unwelcomed predators.

    As for the feral cats here in Hawaii, sadly, people still continue to dump off their unwanted kittens and cats, which then must survive by hunting, and thus contribute to the decline of native animals in many areas. While TNRM (Trap, Neuter, Return, Maintain) programs can help with some cat colony populations, it is not enough to protect endangered native animals. And many areas are not covered by TNRM volunteers and organizations, and those cat populations get bigger and bigger.

    Will New Zealand have success with its Predator Free plan? Their program's goal is 2050.
    Last edited by Amati; November 30, 2016, 08:40 PM.
    Now run along and play, but don’t get into trouble.
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