Charges of reckless driving and felony cruelty to animals are being recommended for a Hawaii man accused of deliberately driving a rented Jeep Wrangler into a flock of birds along Long Beach on July 27. Washington’s Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) sent those recommendations to Pacific County prosecutors after wrapping up their investigation two weeks ago.

Investigators said 25 seagulls were killed. Witness and police photos show their bodies lying in the sand along the path of the Jeep. One photo showed a bird still stuck in the Jeep’s grille.

Police reports said the vehicle the 64-year-old suspect was driving was rented by his wife and nobody else was inside the vehicle at the time.

Past coverage: Man intentionally kills 25 seagulls with Jeep on Washington beach

My Northwest is also uncovering new details surrounding the moments before and after the incident. According to an official WDFW police narrative, on the day of the incident, Travis was spotted by Pacific County Undersheriff Mike Ray attending an Ilwaco High School class reunion golf event. The officer who wrote the report also claims Ray identified the suspect from witness photos.

“Undersheriff Ray stated he encountered Travis at the class reunion golf event Saturday at approximately 1430 hours and believed Travis was intoxicated at that time,” the officer said in her report.

According to investigators, they arrived on the scene of the dead birds around 8 p.m. that same day. The officer also said in her report a witness stated the suspect, “may have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol.”

Witnesses were shocked watching events unfold on Klipsan Beach that day. One described to police seeing a man driving a four-door jeep at a high rate of speed running over birds. Another stated they positioned their own vehicle to force the jeep driver to stop. When Travis did stop, witnesses claim he rolled down his window and mumbled “I’m sorry” over and over, before he sped away.

Police used witness photos of the California license plates on the Jeep to track it down to a Budget Rental Car office at Portland International Airport. Police reports said a Port of Portland officer met the jeep after it arrived back at the rental office and took photos of damage to the front of the vehicle. One of those photos shows feathers still in the grille.

Police said they also called Travis’ wife’s phone and left a message to have the suspect call them. After receiving no response an officer said she texted the same number but received no response again. According to a police report, four hours later the officer texted again saying, “… avoiding it won’t make it go away.”

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Another hour later, police said Travis’ wife texted back saying, “Thank you! I have given Jim the information. He will be contacting you soon. Aloha.” However, investigators said Travis had not contacted them at the time of completing their report.

Investigators said they also located a Facebook page belonging to Travis’ wife and found photos on her page that matched witnesses’ photos of the suspect. The page said Travis and his wife have been married for 15 years.

MyNorthwest has also uncovered both Travis and his wife own a home near the Waialae Iki community in Honolulu. A general contracting, remodeling and construction company is associated with the same home.

Luke Duecy is a reporter for KIRO Newsradio.

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – New developments are emerging from the proposed merger of Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines, including the government’s decision to extend the deadline to accept for reject the merger.

It’s the third time the government has agreed to give an extension. But this time, the deadline was extended by just one day — moving it from Thursday to Friday — suggesting some last minute talks are underway.

Meanwhile, a Department of Justice attorney who previously argued against the Spirit-JetBlue merger, is said to have filed papers to address the court in Hawaii.

Also, U.S. judge has dismissed a lawsuit that sought to block the merger.

What it all means, no one is quite sure.

But Hawaiian stock rose 6% on Wednesday and Alaska’s fell 2%.

This story may be updated.

Copyright 2024 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.

The staff at the Hilo zoo is urging visitors to keep their objects and hands away from the animals at all times after a rising number of foreign items have found in some enclosures.

The zookeepers at the Pana‘ewa Rainforest Zoo and Gardens have reported seeing an uptick in hazardous items like food, trash, small objects, hats and more that were most likely left by guests and placed in zoo habitats.

“It’s disturbing to see some of the items we find in the enclosures that present serious risks to the animals, which are like family to us,” said zoo Administrator Mindy Runnells. “This has been pretty consistent lately and something we’re constantly struggling with. It’s hard, because one of the first rules we have is to not feed the animals.”

According to Runnells, staff recently found onions and coins in one of the primate habitats, both of which could not have been dropped by accident.

“Onions can be toxic to primates, and coins are a choking hazard and can block the digestive system,” Runnells said. “I’m sure there are people coming form a good place, but there is a lot of finesse when it comes to feeding the animals in the zoo. We have to monitor what they are eating, when they eat and how much they eat.”

The animals at the zoo are on monitored diets carefully designed by zoo staff for each species, and much work goes into balancing the diets of the animals, finding quality foods, and preparing the food to the animals’ liking.

Foreign foods can cause a variety of health problems in animals, including nausea, diarrhea and poisoning. Fruits and vegetables that are healthy for people can be toxic for certain animals. While onions are toxic to primates, avocados are toxic to parrots, and processed foods can cause digestive issues in almost all animals.

Other items such as ketchup packets, bottle caps, hats and plastic bottles have been found in animal habitats.

“While some things can be accidental, a lot of the items found in enclosures are dropped when a guest is past a barrier and too close to an animal, which we see often,” Runnells said. “I’ve seen kids trying to give an animal an iPad, and I’ve heard kids reminding the adults about the rules themselves. It’s a lot.”

The staff wants everyone to have fun, but is more concerned with the safety of guests and animals. Visitors are urged to read the zoo rules and to be a good example for young keiki.

“If anyone wants to get rid of coins, the Wishing Well at the front of the zoo is a great place to deposit them,” said Runnells. “These funds go to The Friends of the Pana‘ewa Zoo and are used to support the zoo and its wonderful animals.”

For those interested in watching the zookeepers feed the animals, the best time to visit the zoo is in the morning. Feeding times can be found at hilozoo.org/events.

The zoo also has curated a new list of donations needed for the animals. Some of the items include older towels, sheets, plastic children’s toys and pet carriers. The list can be found at hilozoo.org/wishilist.

The zoo is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day. For more information about zoo rules and regulations, please contact Runnells at (808) 959-7224.

Email Kelsey Walling at kwalling@hawaiitribune-herald.com.