Go away

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A nene goose chases a cat in Hawaii
A nene goose chases a cat in Hawaii

I don’t recall this Nene having chicks around, but it was clearly unhappy with the proximity of the cat and let it know in no uncertain manner. I sympathize with the cat. I’d have been running like that too!

15 thoughts on “Go away”

    1. bushboy's avatarbushboy

      Feral cats do kill lots of birds. They are responsible for a decline in many of the ground dwelling birds in Australia and possibly the whole world.
      Feral cat stomachs often contain a mix of feathers, bones, beaks, and feet from various bird species, alongside remains of reptiles, mammals, and insects. Studies indicate they are opportunistic hunters, with, in some cases, birds making up a smaller portion of their diet compared to mammals

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      1. Susanne Swanson's avatarSusanne Swanson

        I understand your point. I love birds. I love cats. When I visit Hawaii, I’ve seen them coexist. I’ve also seen residents take care of the feral cats and feed them; I assume they also trap, neuter and release. Just not sure it will help either the birds or the cats to ban feeding the ferals. Seems a bit cruel to me. Just my opinion. (Sorry, Graham if we’ve hijacked your post! 😉

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        1. Graham's avatarGraham Post author

          No worries. I believe the feeding ban took effect at the turn of the year. One of the problems with feeding feral cats is that the food also attracts birds, mongooses, and other creatures, leading to confrontations and other issues. There is a huge feral cat problem on the island. There’s a trap, neuter and release program here, but the feral cat problem continues. There are lots of feral cats at the place I go to swim, but one of them I call Killer, because it hunts at a watering spot there. There aren’t many native birds in the area so Killer is mostly taking out introduced species. What concerns me more is that cat feces can contain infectious eggs from the Toxoplasma gondii parasite, which are fatal to the endangered Hawaiian Monk Seals. This is a serious threat to the survival of their species. I don’t think the world is going to run out of cats, but it could easily run out of monk seals! I doubt the feeding ban will be strongly enforced, if at all. If it is it might mot make much difference. If it isn’t, the problem will still be there.

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