My husband and I are lucky enough to have a vacation property on the Big Island of Hawaii. It is our personal opinion it’s the best Island to visit for many reasons. One of the things we’ve enjoyed the most is looking out for the wild donkeys that roam the area surrounding our condo. A while back, I caught wind of a rescue effort effecting these adorable animals & thought I’d give you some background.
One of Hawaii Island’s most charming creatures – know as Kona Nightingales- played an integral role in island heritage, especially in the history & development of the island’s Kona coffee industry. The herd in Waikoloa is descended from donkeys brought from Africa to work the coffee farms of Kona in the early 1900’s. The sure-footed little burros were ideal for coffee work, packing up to 500 lbs. of beans at a time, on the steep slopes of Mauna Loa. They’re social animals, but many of the tiny family coffee farms had only one. At night the plaintive braying of lonely donkeys echoed up & down the mountain, earning them their “nightingale” sobriquet. Descendants of these hardworking beasts have been unemployed for decades. Following World War II, motor vehicles & equipment, together with surplus Army Jeeps, replaced the donkeys. As a result, these now-feral animals freely roam West Hawaii’s arid lava fields.
Today, large parts of the once-isolated lava wilderness are now home to residential communities located in direct line with the donkeys’ well-traveled foraging routes. A recent aerial survey confirmed a feral donkey population of up to 600 in the Waikoloa region of the island alone. In an effort to diminish the danger to these feral animals, Dr. Brady Bergin has recently teamed with the Humane Society of the U.S. (HSUS) & rancher Stan Botielho of Waikoloa to work at keeping the island’s donkey population in check. A key goal for all involved in the donkey rescue effort is identifying available State lease land that could be used to maintain & sustain the wild donkeys safely in their native environment and/or finding private landowners willing to donate land on a permanent or long-term lease basis.
In the meantime, with assistance from Botielho & HSUS, Dr. Bergin has been successful in trapping & castrating some 200 adult male donkeys (known as Jacks) from the Waikoloa herd over the past several months. Land provided by Botielho as a temporary staging area throughout this process has played a key role in making this possible, according to Dr. Bergin. Those wishing to adopt a donkey or make a donation can contact the donkey rescue network through the Aina Hou Animal Hospital (http://ainahou.homestead.com/DonkeyInfo.html).
As recently as September 18th, there was news 120 Kona Nightingales were airlifted from Hawaii to Tehachapi, California & relocated to Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue in the hopes they will be adopted. You can read more about this organization & their efforts on behalf of all American Wild Donkeys by checking their website, http://donkeyrescue.donordrive.com and clicking on the Adopt a Donkey tab. This is a rare opportunity to share a part of our nation’s history by caring for a Hawaiian Donkey. You can find more about this story by Googling Kona Nightingale Rescue or Hawaii Donkey Rescue.
A Hui Hou (until we meet again)
Shawn
