News of a baby goat stranded on a Hawaiian cliff for several days led a group of rogue rescuers on a mission to save the frightened animal.  

Four days had passed after a Waianae resident first noticed a white baby goat trapped along a steep, skinny cliffside ledge.

First spotted on Monday, the concerned resident sought rescue teams to bring the baby goat to safety.

Despite efforts from the Honolulu Fire Department, Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources and Hawaiian Humane Society, the goat remained confined to the towering ledge.

Despite efforts from the Honolulu Fire Department, Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources and Hawaiian Humane Society, the goat remained confined to the towering ledge

As days continued to pass, hope for the animal’s rescue from the treacherous cliffside began to fade.

That was until Ben Hansen, a Kailua resident, was alerted to the goat’s predicament via social media.

‘He saw the Hawaii News Now Instagram post and he’s like, look, there’s a goat. Looks like he’s stuck,’ Hansen’s wife, Govinda Hansen, told the news outlet.

‘So he showed it to me and I’m a sucker for baby animals, or animals in general. So I was like, we need to go get this goat,’ she said.

Govinda and her husband weren’t the only ones roped into the rescue mission.

Several Instagram users replied to the post, including two men who would eventually join the Hansen couple on their quest to save the animal.

Govinda Hansen and her husband Ben weren’t the only ones roped into the rescue mission. Caleb Morrison, another avid hiker, later connected with the couple, explaining to the pair that he had climbing gear that could help them reach the troubled goat. Pictured: Govinda explaining in an Instagram post how she connected with Morrison while on their way up to the cliffside

‘The goat started to kind of panic as we approached, so we just kind of hung back, slowly inching forward and using, like, a team strategy of kind of corralling the goat,’ Morrison said. Pictured: Rescuers successfully corralled the trapped animal and brought it to safety

After a few minutes of waiting and baiting, the baby animal ventured within arms reach of Ben Hansen (pictured), who capitalized on the opportunity and ‘just bear-hugged the little guy all the way down the mountainside’

‘A swarm of people sent me the post,’ said Caleb Morrison, ‘like, “Go save this goat, Caleb!” 

Morrison then connected with the Hansens, explaining to the pair that he had climbing gear that could help them reach the troubled goat. 

Capturing the entire, hours-long ordeal on film via a drone and cell phone video, the crew of strangers gathered at the Waianae Coast Comprehensive Center before taking off on their ascent.

Morrison, who was trailing behind Ben during the climb, said: ‘The goat started to kind of panic as we approached, so we just kind of hung back, slowly inching forward and using, like, a team strategy of kind of corralling the goat.’

Before the group’s steep climb, the self-proclaimed ‘avid hikers’ were unsure of just ‘how big of a cliffside it was.’

‘I was very relieved that we got him safely,’ Govinda said. ‘We named him Bala. Bala means white. He’s beautiful.’ Pictured: Rescuers with the baby goat

The goat was so hungry that it immediately drank an entire bottle of milk

‘He’s happy,’ Govinda (pictured) said. ‘We put him down on grass and he just like chilled there. He seems to be doing good’

‘We weren’t exactly sure how big of a cliffside it was,’ Morrison said, ‘and we wanted to get in there as quick as possible, just because it had been there already for four days.’

Upon their eventual approach, the baby goat appeared to be ‘super skittish,’ Morrison said.

As they got within feet from the goat, Ben baited the animal with an apple, hoping it would jump into his open arms.

‘I was down the cliff under the goat, waiting to see if he jumped,’ Ben said.

After a few minutes of waiting and baiting, the baby animal ventured within arms reach of Ben, who capitalized on the opportunity and ‘just bear-hugged the little guy all the way down the mountainside.’

Bala the goat is now at Aloha Animal Sanctuary

Morrison said it took 45 minutes to bring the goat down.   

‘I was very relieved that we got him safely,’ Govinda said. 

‘We named him Bala. Bala means white. He’s beautiful.’

The goat is now at Aloha Animal Sanctuary.

Bala was so hungry that he immediately drank an entire bottle of milk before happily prancing through the sanctuary’s lush grass.

‘He’s happy,’ Govinda said. ‘We put him down on grass and he just like chilled there. He seems to be doing good.’

KEA‘AU — In a strong showing of unity and advocacy, 21 cyclists from across the Big Island gathered at Herbert Shipman Park on Saturday to embark on a 22-mile round-trip ride to the Billy Kenoi Park in Pahoa.

Led by State Representative Greggor Ilagan (District 4, Lower Puna), the ride was organized by the Hawaii Public Health Institute (HIPHI), a nonprofit dedicated to promoting health and wellness in Hawaii. The event highlighted the pressing need for safer bike routes along Route 130, a popular yet hazardous stretch for both recreational and commuting cyclists.

Rep. Ilagan, alongside Franz Weber from PATH (People for Active Transportation Hawai‘i) and Hawaii Cycling Club, welcomed the participants and emphasized bike safety precautions before the group set off under overcast skies. The cyclists, with varying levels of familiarity with Route 130, pedaled through the town of Kea‘au then onto the Route 130, while advocating for improvements in road safety on a route frequented by many in the cycling community.

Upon reaching Billy Kenoi Park, participants engaged in a “Road Audit,” offering insights on what is working and what needs improvement along the route. While many praised the wide shoulders and the considerate motorists, they also voiced concerns over essential areas that required attention. Key issues discussed included the need for regular landscape maintenance, clearer and more consistent signage, alternate routes through the area, and additional measures to enhance safety for both cyclists and pedestrians.

As cyclists prepared for the return journey, they noted increased safety challenges on the reverse side of the highway. More debris, likely from the nearby Transfer Station, cluttered the shoulder which created obstacles in the bike lane. Newly installed delineators near Paradise Road and Shower Lane, as well as narrow bike lanes around roundabouts, further restricted safe passage. Additionally, cyclists faced difficulty making a left turn back into Kea‘au, opting instead to use the pedestrian crosswalk to avoid crossing high-speed traffic.

The event certainly emphasized a larger need for a Complete Streets Policy on Hawaii Island — a concept aimed at designing roads to serve all users, including cyclists, pedestrians, and motorists. The participants expressed hope for future rides to bring attention to other areas on the island that face similar safety challenges.

HIPHI and Rep. Ilagan are committed to advancing these conversations with plans to bring bike safety and infrastructure improvements to the forefront in the 2025 Legislative Session. As cycling and pedestrian advocacy continue to grow, the group ride served as an effective step toward ensuring safer roads for all island residents.

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – After serving more than three years as commander of U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC), Gen. Charles Flynn will step down Friday, Nov. 8.

He took command of the U.S. Army’s largest service component command in June 2021.

“One of the most challenging things about this command is the variations of the environment and conditions that exist across Asia,” Flynn said.

While the general is charming and engaging, he is also a battle-proven soldier, as indicated by the tabs on his chest, combat infantry, airborne, air assault, and pathfinder. Gen. Flynn is a mix of two worlds, military and diplomacy.

“There are a lot of tough decisions to be made in the coming years on a range of topics, but I think at the end of the day, that there is this trust and relationship and conversation and transparency and truth that comes from looking after one another, and caring for one another is really important,” he said.

Flynn has worked on building that trust on three fronts. First, he says, it comes to respecting the aina and the indigenous people of the islands.

“Being here and being respectful of what we are able to do, and being respectful of the people, the land, and the water, and all that goes with it is, again, that’s really an important part of actually being here,” he said.

Second, Flynn says, is building trust with other nations, like Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Brunei, and Australia, as seen at the recent Land Forces Pacific of LANPAC Symposium.

USARPAC‘s area of operations covers half the globe and consists of 36 nations and six of the world’s 10 largest armies.

“There is an automatic matching, if you will, of our ability to train here in Hawaii and then the ability to transfer that training, and advise, assist and enable the other armies in the region to improve. We are and remain the gold standard,” he said.

And third, the trust of the American people on ensuring U.S. Army soldiers are prepared for whatever missions they are called on to do.

“Our ability to train here and be able to train in the areas that we have access to here on Oahu and, of course, the Pohakuloa training area, what that really translates into is a degree of readiness that we can then bring into the region to do the things that we have to do with allies and partners in the region that are in those same environments,” he said.

As his time in command comes to an end, Gen. Flynn leaves with a grateful heart and will miss working with his soldiers in Hawaii.

At the same time, he will also miss the beauty of the islands and other aspects of life here.

“I am going to miss my relationships and friends. I’m also going to miss surfing, I do love surfing,” Gen. Flynn said.

“I want to thank Hawaii. I want to thank the people,” he said.

Flynn will relinquish his command to Lt. Gen. Ronald Clark Friday at a ceremony on Fort Shafter.

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