Hawaii cites 2 for feeding feral cats, harming native geese

By AUDREY McAVOY
Associated Press

HONOLULU (AP) — State authorities have cited two women for allegedly harming an endangered species of geese native to Hawaii by feeding feral cats in a Big Island shopping center parking lot. The nene geese are listed as an endangered species under Hawaii state law and a threatened species under U.S. law. The state Department of Land and Natural Resources says it issued the citations on Tuesday while about 50 people were protesting a decision by the shopping center’s owner to remove three cat-feeding stations. Some protesters were carrying large bags of cat food. Stray cats have no predators in Hawaii, and their numbers have ballooned. A 2015 study estimated Oahu alone had 300,000 feral cats.