Layson albatrosses at Kaena reserve killed, nests destroyed
Three Laysan albatrosses were killed, several others are missing, and 15 nests were destroyed at the Kaena Point Natural Area Reserve, state conservation enforcement officials said.
Marigold Zoll, the state Division of Forestry and Wildlife manager, said the birds were killed some time between Sunday afternoon and Monday afternoon.
The state Department of Land and Natural Resources said an inventory of Layson albatross nests at Ka’ena on Monday found that 15 nests had been destroyed, “with either smashed, dead, or missing eggs.” Of the 15, attending adults were missing from 12 of nests and the bodies of three adult birds were found.
State officials, holding a news media conference in front of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources Wednesday afternoon, said a hiker reported seeing a dead albatross near a trail and a subsequent investigation led to the discovery of other deaths.
Three seabird monitoring cameras along with sound equipment valued at $3,100 in replacement value were also missing.
Layson albatross are protected under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act and under the state indigenous species law.
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It is illegal to kill, capture or possess a Laysan albatross.
Federal penalties upon conviction are up to $15,000 in fines and 1 year in jail per incident, and state penalties up to $10,000 in fines and $5,000 for harmed animals.
26 responses to “Layson albatrosses at Kaena reserve killed, nests destroyed”
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My God what is wrong with people? My heart aches. So very sad, indeed.
agree…another horrible Waianae story. Seems nothing there is ever really good.
Not true, allie. You’re on a roll today with allie-isms.
aliie could be mama bird.
We don’t know who did it. All we know is they are low life’s. People who do sick things like this can live anywhere.
You’d think those people out there were from North Dakota or something.
Easier to ask what is right with these people?
These birds don’t bother anyone so people should leave them alone. How sad. Hope they find the people that done this and punish them to the max.
Yes. Humans are just guest on the animal’s world.
Must be a slow news day.
Not for the dead birds.
I learn how to do it slower in high school.
Guess you don’t care about the creatures that live with us. If I would you I would be worried about love life people who live among us!
Stupid person/people who find killing protected seabirds fun. I hope karma takes care of these lolos. Probably still has some digital images of them, so just turn your sorry @sses in before they find out who you are.
Agree. I hope karma kicks in quickly.
what is a karma?
As you sow, so shall you reap. What comes around, goes around … etc
Mike knows, he is just being a smart a@#.
As in: My karma just ran over your dogma.
Hey, people. Leave them birds alone.
can’t off-road in the area anymore so they kill the birds and steal the cameras as if dlnr is going to open the area back up. lowlifes.
ua kapu ke ola na Kane
It is sad to read that this sort of thing happens in Hawaii. I like to think that the people of Hawaii are stewards of an environment and culture not found anywhere else in the world. Catch these guys soon because who knows what else they’re capable of doing.
Please please PLEASE find the people who did this and send them right through the Federal system. Not just for the vandalism, which would be bad enough, but for such cruelty too. For SHAME!
they didn’t get all the surveillance cameras, still time to turn themselves in and ask for leniency before the cops show up
All of the people who have registered to enter through the gate/have vehicle access inside Ka`ena Point State Park should be investigated and anyone else they let through the gate in a vehicle should be investigated. As it is highly unlikely that the criminal/s who did this to these birds and stole the equipment walked in – they would not have walked all that way and done that. They would have drove in. To drive in, you need to register to gain entry through the gate. DNLR would know who had entry. Yes it is a lot of people, but it still narrows down the list of suspects. Also there should be NO ENTRY allowed anymore to anyone with a vehicle at Ka`ena Point especially after this happened. No-one should be camping there overnight or have vehicle entry. The whole place needs to be closed at night and the gates to the Natural Area Reserve need to be locked at night and also a ranger should be on duty every day there in the daytime. All of these measures – no more vehicles driving in, locking the gate accessing the area where the birds are and putting a ranger on duty there would protect the birds to ensure this never happens again. ICUN doesn’t need millions of Hawaii’s dollars – put the millions to better use to protect Hawaii’s sea birds and animals and environment. Hawaii’s parks are run down and look awful and the money could also be better used to employ rangers to look after places like Ka`ena Point and the sea birds that live there. That is a better use of that money than one conference. What an extravagant waste.