Hawaii

Hawaii’s Big Island bans feeding feral cats in an effort to help endangered native species

Published

4 months ago

December 26, 2025

Hawaii’s Big Island bans feeding feral cats in an effort to help endangered native species

KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii — Throngs of feral cats emerge from the shade of parked trucks and bushes as soon as the familiar Subaru Forester pulls into a dump on Hawaii’s Big Island. They run after the vehicle to a certain meal — a gravy train that might not be around much longer.

A Hawaii County law set to take effect at the start of the new year bans feeding feral animals on county property. It’s an effort to protect native species, such as an endangered goose called the nene, from a super predator introduced to the islands by Europeans in the 18th century.

But the measure doesn’t sit well with many cat lovers, including the driver of the Subaru, Liz Swan, who has been feeding feral felines on the Big Island for 33 years.

“I don’t believe the cats should be exterminated at the expense of the nene,” Swan said. “They’re both living creatures.”

It’s unclear how many feral cats — abandoned pets and their descendants — live on the Big Island. Estimates range well into the tens of thousands, with pockets of dense colonies supported by people. Opponents of the ban say it will hamper their efforts to contain the population by trapping and neutering the animals — and that hungry cats will then have to hunt for food.

A variety of threats

About 200 cats live at the Kealakehe Transfer Station and Recycling Center, not far from the bustling tourist district of Kona. Swan shows up every late afternoon with water and kibble, and says she’s never seen a nene anywhere near the dump. Despite living amid trash, the cats there generally appear robust, most of them missing the tip of an ear, indicating they’ve been spayed or neutered.

The cats threaten the native species directly — by killing them — and indirectly, biologists say. Food left out for the cats can attract native animals, bringing them into closer contact with humans. Cat feces can also spread a parasite that causes toxoplasmosis, a disease that has killed endangered Hawaiian monk seals and native birds.

Liz Swan sets up food and a trap for stray cats near the Kealakehe Transfer Station and Recycling Center, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. Credit: AP/Mengshin Lin

Last year, a male nene — pronounced “neh-neh” — was struck and killed by a car as it crossed a road in Hilo, on the eastern side of the island, to reach a cat feeding station. The goose’s surviving mate, which also had a gosling die of toxoplasmosis in 2024, has recently taken on another partner and is nesting in a Hilo park, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources announced this month.

The county’s feeding ban will help protect them, the department said.

A Hawaiian biologist’s view

State wildlife biologist Raymond McGuire recently checked for nene nesting sites among the barren black-rock fields near a shopping center at the Waikoloa resort. It’s not their traditional habitat, but he has seen the geese fly in to grab food — risking getting hit by cars — and last year some nested there.

As he approached, a pair of feline eyes peered out of a crack in the lava rock. Cats emerged from their nooks, perhaps mistaking him for someone who might offer food.

A nene is seen on a golf course, Tuesday, Dec.... — A nene is seen on a golf course, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, in Waikoloa Village, Hawaii. Credit: AP/Mengshin Lin

McGuire was relieved to see there were no nene nearby — but frustrated with evidence the cats are being fed: empty water bowls and aluminum pans.

He’s a cat owner — “my favorite animal is a cat” — but as a Hawaiian whose love of nature inspired him to pursue conservation work, he believes there is no room for them where native species are struggling to survive.

“There’s so many birds that my kids will never see, that I got to see,” he said, referring to native forest birds. “I think about my ancestors and I do wonder: Are we honoring them well in what we do? Because they did take steps to protect them.”

Feral cats are a problem in many places, but Hawaii’s sensitive ecosystem is full of species that evolved without mammalian predators, making them especially vulnerable, McGuire said.

‘I felt bad for the cats’

Hawaiian culture is closely tied to Hawaii’s animals; aumakua, or ancestral spirit guides, can take animal form, noted Big Island Mayor Kimo Alameda. His family’s aumakua is the shark, he said.

After the county council passed the measure with a veto-proof 6-2 vote, Alameda decided to let it take effect without his signature. Opponents persuaded him it would harm the cats.

“I had a soft spot for that,” he said. “I felt bad for the cats.”

The debate was so contentious that some opponents sent him hate messages, Alameda said.

The mayor said he hopes police consider enforcement a low priority. Violations carry fines of up to $50 for a first offense and up to $500 for subsequent offenses.

Will the ban prompt feeders to work in secret?

The answer is simple to Makaʻala Kaʻaumoana, a cultural practitioner — someone who works to preserve Hawaiian cultural traditions — on the island of Kauai.

Trapping, neutering and releasing cats makes no difference because they can still hunt, she said.

“The cats have to be removed,” she said.

Debbie Cravatta, who feeds cats in her West Hawaii neighborhood, questioned why.

“It’s a native species — why does that reign over a domestic cat that somebody dumped out pregnant and that had six kittens out in the wild?” Cravatta said. “Why is that life more valuable than this life?”

Opponents also argue the ban might only push feeding efforts underground.

“I’m not going to let them starve,” Swan said.

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Hawaii

Hawaii County Surf Forecast for April 27, 2026 | Big Island Now

Published

8 hours ago

April 27, 2026

Press Room

Forecast for Big Island Windward and Southeast

Shores	Tonight		Monday
	Surf		Surf
	PM	AM	AM	PM
North Facing	2-4	2-4	1-3	1-3
East Facing	2-4	2-4	3-5	3-5
South Facing	2-4	2-4	2-4	2-4

TONIGHT

Weather

Mostly cloudy. Occasional showers.

Low Temperature

In the upper 60s.

Winds

Northeast winds 5 to 10 mph, becoming
northwest after midnight.

Tides
Hilo Bay	Low 0.5 feet 06:03 PM HST.
Hilo Bay	High 2.0 feet 12:18 AM HST.

MONDAY

Weather

Partly sunny. Scattered showers.

High Temperature

In the lower 80s.

Winds

Northeast winds 5 to 10 mph.

Tides
Hilo Bay	Low 0.0 feet 06:52 AM HST.
Hilo Bay	High 1.8 feet 01:18 PM HST.

Sunrise

5:54 AM HST.

Sunset

6:42 PM HST.

Forecast for Big Island Leeward

Shores	Tonight		Monday
	Surf		Surf
	PM	AM	AM	PM
West Facing	2-4	2-4	2-4	2-4
South Facing	2-4	2-4	2-4	2-4

TONIGHT

Weather

Mostly sunny until 6 PM, then mostly
cloudy until 12 AM, then partly cloudy.
Isolated showers.

Low Temperature

In the upper 60s.

Winds

Light and variable winds.

Tides
Kona	Low 0.3 feet 06:40 PM HST.
Kona	High 1.6 feet 12:56 AM HST.
Kawaihae	Low 0.4 feet 07:01 PM HST.
Kawaihae	High 1.6 feet 01:02 AM HST.

MONDAY

Weather

Mostly sunny. Isolated showers.

High Temperature

In the lower 80s.

Winds

Southwest winds around 5 mph.

Tides
Kona	Low 0.0 feet 07:29 AM HST.
Kona	High 1.5 feet 01:56 PM HST.
Kawaihae	Low -0.1 feet 07:40 AM HST.
Kawaihae	High 1.6 feet 02:12 PM HST.

Sunrise

5:58 AM HST.

Sunset

6:46 PM HST.

Surf along north facing shores will begin to gradually ease tonight into the first half of the week. An upward trend is expected during the second half of the week as a new northwest swell arrives. This may be followed by a larger northwest swell Friday/Saturday, with surf heights nearing the advisory levels for exposed north and west facing shores.

Surf along south facing shores will remain somewhat inconsistent as a southwest swell peaks this evening/tonight. This will be followed by a gradual downward trend by Monday. Another small south-southwest pulse may arrive next weekend from activity within our swell window east of New Zealand.

Surf along east facing shores will remain relatively small and choppy, though a brief strengthening of the trade winds tomorrow could lead to a small bump in surf.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD

NORTH EAST

am pm

Surf: Minimal (ankle high or less) surf.

Conditions: Semi choppy with ESE winds 5-10mph in the morning increasing to 10-15mph in the afternoon.

NORTH WEST

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD

am pm

Surf: Minimal (ankle high or less) surf.

Conditions: Clean in the morning with ESE winds less than 5mph. Bumpy/semi bumpy conditions for the afternoon with the winds shifting W 5-10mph.

WEST

am pm

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD

Surf: Minimal (ankle high or less) surf.

Conditions: Light sideshore texture in the morning with NNW winds 5-10mph. Bumpy/semi bumpy conditions for the afternoon with the winds shifting to the WNW.

SOUTH EAST

am pm

Surf: Minimal (ankle high or less) surf.

Conditions: Sideshore texture/chop with NE winds 10-15mph.

Data Courtesy of NOAA.gov and SwellInfo.com

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Hawaii

County launches coastal management education tool – West Hawaii Today

Published

20 hours ago

April 26, 2026

Press Room

County launches coastal management education tool – West Hawaii Today

Residents interested in learning more about coastal zoning on Hawaii Island have a new tool at their fingertips.

The Hawaii County Planning Department recently launched an interactive Coastal Zone Management Atlas website.

In addition to providing an overview of different coastal ecosystems in the county, the site allows users to search an address and select various filters to view potential coastal hazards and regulations specific to that site, among other features.

“It really allows people to zoom in on their community or property, if they’re a property owner, and understand all of the very technical pieces that there are to consider about our coastal zone,” said Bethany Morrison, the planning program manager for the Long-Range Panning Division at the county.

She said her office often gets questions from residents about Hawaii’s Special Management Area, which covers the land along the coast of the island and has specific regulations and requirements for development permits.

“So, this will give them a much deeper dive into what is the Special Management Area? What are those permit requirements? Is my property even in the Special Management Area?” She said. “All of those questions that we get, we’re trying to provide some resources for them.”

The tool was developed with the assistance of Tetra Tech and funded with an award from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and used data provided by the University of Hawaii at Hilo to create the mapping component. It took about six months and $26,267 to create. Morrison said it is part of a larger, ongoing project to re-evaluate the county’s shoreline setback policies.

“We are the only county that doesn’t have any type of erosion rate-based setbacks,” she said. “Our current shoreline setback is 40 feet, kind of regardless of what type of shoreline you’re on, what type of hazards there are – it’s just a standard sort of distance.”

Which she said does not account for other factors that could be important.

“In some cases, 40 feet is plenty, and in some cases, it’s not, depending on where you are and what’s happening, so we initiated this project to really understand what changes are happening along our shoreline, and if there’s a way to include those changes in the calculation of our setbacks,” she said.

She said she views the atlas as a valuable precursor to any changes to the setback requirements that might be introduced.

“Before we get to that, we want people to have a really good understanding of what’s happening along our coastline and be able to explore things for themselves before we try and introduce any type of changes to our regulations,” she said. “So, that’s a big purpose, is to just get this out there, being used, having people understand what those pieces are — hazards, ecosystems that we want to protect — all those kinds of details.”

She said the site will be updated as new data becomes available.

The county hosted a webinar earlier this month to introduce the new tool and answer questions.

Another one is scheduled for May 7 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Anyone interested can register at: tinyurl.com/2pxat5n8.

The Coastal Zone Management Atlas can be viewed at: tinyurl.com/mstvyjyp.

Email Grace Inez Adams at grace.adams@hawaiitribune-herald.com.

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Hawaii

Hawaii County Surf Forecast for April 26, 2026 | Big Island Now

Published

1 day ago

April 26, 2026

Press Room

Forecast for Big Island Windward and Southeast

Shores	Tonight		Sunday
	Surf		Surf
	PM	AM	AM	PM
North Facing	3-5	2-4	2-4	2-4
East Facing	3-5	2-4	2-4	2-4
South Facing	1-3	1-3	1-3	1-3

TONIGHT

Weather

Mostly sunny until 6 PM, then mostly
cloudy. Numerous showers.

Low Temperature

In the upper 60s.

Winds

Northeast winds 5 to 10 mph, becoming
northwest after midnight.

Tides
Hilo Bay	Low 0.4 feet 04:55 PM HST.
Hilo Bay	High 2.1 feet 11:39 PM HST.

SUNDAY

Weather

Partly sunny. Scattered showers.

High Temperature

In the lower 80s.

Winds

Northeast winds 5 to 10 mph.

Tides
Hilo Bay	Low 0.1 feet 06:30 AM HST.
Hilo Bay	High 1.5 feet 12:37 PM HST.

Sunrise

5:54 AM HST.

Sunset

6:42 PM HST.

Forecast for Big Island Leeward

Shores	Tonight		Sunday
	Surf		Surf
	PM	AM	AM	PM
West Facing	2-4	2-4	2-4	2-4
South Facing	1-3	1-3	2-4	2-4

TONIGHT

Weather

Mostly sunny until 6 PM, then mostly
cloudy until 12 AM, then partly cloudy.
Isolated showers.

Low Temperature

In the upper 60s.

Winds

Southwest winds around 5 mph, becoming
east in the evening, then becoming
north after midnight.

Tides
Kona	Low 0.3 feet 05:32 PM HST.
Kona	High 1.7 feet 12:17 AM HST.
Kawaihae	Low 0.4 feet 05:43 PM HST.
Kawaihae	High 1.7 feet 12:14 AM HST.

SUNDAY

Weather

Mostly sunny. Isolated showers.

High Temperature

In the lower 80s.

Winds

Southwest winds around 5 mph.

Tides
Kona	Low 0.1 feet 07:07 AM HST.
Kona	High 1.2 feet 01:15 PM HST.
Kawaihae	Low -0.1 feet 07:15 AM HST.
Kawaihae	High 1.3 feet 01:33 PM HST.

Sunrise

5:58 AM HST.

Sunset

6:46 PM HST.

A medium-period northwest swell peaks tonight into Sunday, producing small to moderate surf for north and west-facing shores, before gradually declining through early next week. A hurricane-force low tracking across the Aleutian Islands tonight should send a moderate northwest swell towards Hawaii around the middle of next week.

Short-period northeasterly energy is beginning to decrease this afternoon, which will keep below average surf along eastern exposures for the first half of next week due to the lack of any strong trade wind activity. Locally strong trade winds could return during the latter half of next week, which could bring rough and choppy surf with near normal wave heights.

Small background energy from the west will continue to linger through today and fade out on Sunday. A small southwest bump from the Tasman Sea is expected to slowly fill in tonight and peak on Sunday. No significant south swell is expected through the first half of next week. A fetch of gales passing east of New Zealand today could produce a small south-southwest swell for next weekend.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD

NORTH EAST

am pm

Surf: Minimal (ankle high or less) surf.

Conditions: Semi choppy with ESE winds 5-10mph in the morning increasing to 10-15mph in the afternoon.

NORTH WEST

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD

am pm

Surf: Minimal (ankle high or less) surf.

Conditions: Clean in the morning with ESE winds less than 5mph. Bumpy/semi bumpy conditions for the afternoon with the winds shifting W 5-10mph.

WEST

am pm

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD

Surf: Minimal (ankle high or less) surf.

Conditions: Light sideshore texture in the morning with NNW winds 5-10mph. Bumpy/semi bumpy conditions for the afternoon with the winds shifting to the WNW.

SOUTH EAST

am pm

Surf: Minimal (ankle high or less) surf.

Conditions: Sideshore texture/chop with NE winds 10-15mph.

Data Courtesy of NOAA.gov and SwellInfo.com

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