Return of the Nene

nē.nē. nvi. To chirp, as a cricket; to croak, as a mudhen; crying, as in distress; whimpering, as a sleeping infant; rumor, gossip; to be attracted to; cherish, think of, as with affection.

Recently Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park (HVNP) closed its Uēkahuna parking lot and a short section of Crater Rim Trail to protect some of its VIP residents: a pair of geese who had nested in the area and were taking turns tending their eggs. These are nēnē, Hawaii’s State Bird that once thrived by the thousands on the Big Island. By the 1950s, they were very nearly extinct, and now they are a protected species, one Hawai‘i takes very seriously.

At Uēkahuna, where the pair are nesting, numerous signs advise people to give them space. Nesting season is from October through March, when they are most at risk. Nēnē can fly, but they feed and sleep, and build their nests, on the ground. The female usually lays 3-5 eggs, and she and the gander both stay nearby at all times, making them targets for mongoose and other animal predators. They’re also susceptible to human-caused hazards: they’re struck by golf balls; they get sick from exposure to feral cats; and they occupy parking lots, endangered by cars.

Nēnē are federally protected, and feeding them is illegal by State law, subject to a $100 fine plus $30 processing fee. In recent years, individuals have been fined for “birdnapping” a gosling (later returned), for hosting feral cat feeding stations, and for killing nēnē—$1,000 to $10,000 per goose.)

Sick or injured nēnē (and other native birds) are ably cared for by the Hawai‘i Wildlife Center in North Kohala. Please call the bird line (808) 884-5000.

How did they get here?

The nēnē, Branta sandvicensis, is one of at least seven species of geese that lived in the islands about 500,000 years ago, according to HVNP. They resemble the Canada goose, and very well may be descended from a disoriented pair, blown off course during a long migration. Large, ground dwelling (and apparently tasty), the early Polynesians hunted them zealously, as did the wild pigs.

When Captain Cook arrived in 1778, about 25,000 nēnē inhabited Hawai‘i Island, the only island known for certain to have had them at the time. Over time, outside contact increased nēnē hunting to feed visiting ships, introduced new predators, and began to obliterate the birds’ natural habitat. In the 1940s and 50s, that number dropped to only about 40.

Captive breeding and reintroduction programs brought the nēnē back. This was largely the work of one man, Hawai‘i Island rancher and businessman Herbert Shipman.

Descended from a Missionary family, Herbert went to college on the mainland, came back to the family business, and eventually established himself as president of three firms, vice president of another, and director with eight more. He is credited with bringing anthuriums to Hawai‘i, along with several species of orchid. And, he is the one individual, who almost single-handedly saved the nēnē from extinction.

Before 1900, people were allowed to shoot up to ten nēnē for food, and it was common practice, especially for ranching families on the slopes of Mauna Loa. Herbert observed the nēnē flocks decreasing year by year, and drastically. He decided to take a stand and obtained two pairs from friends in 1919, letting them breed on his ranch in Kea‘au. By 1946, he had a gaggle of 43. Sadly, more than half were killed in the great tsunami. Herbert got the flock out of there and moved to Ainahou Ranch (now part of HVNP).

About 10 years later, Herbert connected with a Mr. Peter Scott of the Slimbridge Wild Fowl Trust in Gloucestershire, England, who wanted to acquire nēnē. He sent an associate to pick up a mated pair, but not long after, Herbert got a wire from Slimbridge. Apparently, both nēnē had built nests and were laying eggs, and could they please borrow a male. Herbert was happy to help.

Nēnē normally mate for life. But when “Kamehameha” arrived at Slimbridge (where the birds were named for Hawaiian royalty), both “Emma” and “Ka‘iulani” took a gander, and apparently agreed on a threesome. They produced generations of offspring, and have helped re-populate the islands of Hawai‘i, O‘ahu, Kaua‘i, Maui, and Moloka‘i. There are about 4,000 nēnē in the islands today, and their status has been downgraded from Endangered to Threatened.

Of course England is not the only place with a nēnē breeding program. HVNP started its captive breeding and reintroduction project in the 1970s. In 1962, Haleakala National Park on Maui welcomed a dozen nēnē, each carried in a cardboard box by a Boy Scout. These were descendants of the original Shipman birds at Slimbridge. Nēnē o Moloka‘i began its breeding and release program in 1994. On Kaua‘i, nēnē were introduced at Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge from 1991 to 2000. In 2014, nēnē were introduced on O‘ahu for the first time in recorded history.

Writer Julia Porter Steele’s wonderful article, “The Worldly Bird,” tells of her “wild goose chase” through England, Normandy, Belgium and Amsterdam, visiting the international nēnē. At the very end of her tour, her hosts offered to show her something very special.

“It is one of the original three nēnē, Ka‘iulani, who in 1960 was stuffed and mounted after she died. They have brought her out of storage for me, and fifty-six years on she remains faultlessly preserved and beautiful. Seeing her is the perfect end to this journey. I think of her beginnings in Shipman’s garden, her trip to England, her double lives in Hawai‘i and the UK. I think, too, of the princess for whom she’s named, Victoria Ka‘iulani, who had a Hawaiian mother and a Scottish father and who also lived a life split between Hawai‘i and the UK. That Ka‘iulani carried the hopes of a nation that wished to see her ascend to the throne of a restored Hawaiian Kingdom, but it was not to be: She died in 1899 at just 23. But the Ka‘iulani before me? She was blessed with a different destiny. She helped to save her species.”