HONOLULU (AP) - Less than a month after five of Hawaii’s last remaining native crow species were reintroduced to the wild, conservationists say three of the birds have been found dead and two others have been placed back in captivity.
The alala, which has been extinct in the wild since 2002, had been released to the Big Island forests on Dec. 14. The birds had been observed doing well and eating from feeders before they were found dead, Hawaii News Now reported (https://bit.ly/2hvs5AT).
“Some level of mortality is to be expected when reintroducing a species back into the wild and we were prepared for that possibility,” said John Vetter, a wildlife biologist with the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, in a news release.
State and federal officials say a necropsy will be performed to determine the cause of death.
Bryce Masuda with the Hawaii Endangered Bird Conservation Program said the discovery of the three dead birds is a big loss for the community, “including the many people who have cared for these birds since their hatch and have worked steadfastly to prepare for their release. Condolences for this loss have come from around the world.”
The birds’ release into the Puu Makaala Natural Area Reserve this month follows a failed attempt in the 1990s, when 27 birds were freed in South Kona. Twenty-one alala died due to disease and predation, and the remaining six were recaptured.
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Information from: KGMB-TV, https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/
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