What Is Killing Kauai’s Chickens?
An investigation into the chicken deaths is underway with bird parts flown to Honolulu for testing.
聽on the Hawaiian island of Kauai earlier this week, and the Aloha State is determined to figure out why.
“The smell of death permeated the stuffy humid air,” The Garden Island Newspaper聽wrote, “and .”
Kauai is 聽of wild chickens. They聽roam free in parking lots, parks, golf courses, and even, on occasion, the airport baggage terminal. But the mysterious deaths have shaken the island community.
鈥淥ne day,鈥 Lihue resident Joseph Manini Jr. told the Kauai newspaper, “.”
A feral rooster pecks away at the Hanalei overlook on Kauai.
Nathan Eagle/Civil Beat
The Garden Island聽聽into a state conservation department truck and have been shipped to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s office on Oahu for testing to determine the cause of death.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e absolutely everywhere,鈥 Eben J. Gering, an evolutionary biologist at Michigan State University who has been studying the birds, told the newspaper. 鈥淭hey seem to be living a whole diversity of lifestyles, from eating garbage and cat food to being fed by tourists at the beach to foraging on native arthropods.鈥
Not surprisingly, not everyone enjoys their presence.
“Those darn roosters ,” Bob Brenner, a visitor from Austin, Texas, told The Wall Street Journal. “If I had a gun, I would have shot a couple of them. They are all over the place. They walk right into the restaurants.”
Kauai’s chickens have suddenly turned up dead before.
In 2007, the Kauai Humane Society 聽was responsible for killing dozens of the birds. And last year, 聽after several chickens were shot — and at least one killed — by blowgun darts.
While it is unclear how long the current investigation will take, a USDA spokeswoman said samples of the chickens that died last week were scheduled to .
