Big Island Donkeys To Be Relocated
Hawaii has recently received some much-needed assistance to remove former plantation workers now roaming the Big Island.
Donkeys were originally brought to Hawaii to help farmers in the coffee fields on the Big Island. But when these beasts of burden were no longer needed, they were let loose. Hawaii Humane Society officials believe that the donkeys were moved to the Waikoloa area in the 1970s, due to increased development in Kona. But the now wild donkeys have found their way back to civilization, in search of water and in spite of development. Their presence has caused concern for locals, as the donkeys have become more than noisy neighbors. The equines are actually a traffic hazard. And their growing population – from a dozen to an estimated 400-600 in the Waikaloa area alone – is an increased risk to motorists.
Many Big Island residents have shown the donkeys much aloha, adopting them and caring for them on private property, and insisting that they not be exterminated. One Waikaloa resident, Anika Glass, created Malama Waikoloa Nightingales, a blog intended to keep both motorists and donkeys safe by encouraging residents to report sightings and adopt donkeys.
But there is only so much one can do with a wild animal, and some locals now have more donkeys than they can handle. According to Waimea veterinarian Brady Bergin, one cattle rancher who cared for the animals as they appeared on his property has become a “donkey rancher by default”. The rancher is quickly running out of space and time to properly care for the donkeys in addition to his own cattle.
In an effort to prevent the donkey population on the Big Island from further growth, The Humane Society of the United States is paying for a project that involves castration and relocation of the feral animals. This is not the Humane Society’s first equine relocation project. In 1979, the National Park Service planned to kill wild burros – whose ancestors were former beasts of burden during the Gold Rush era – in the Grand Canyon. But the Humane Society stepped in and saved 577 burros by relocating them to a Texas sanctuary, named Black Beauty Ranch.
The Big Island project will cost an estimated $75,000, as it involves castration and relocation of the animals to sanctuaries all the way across the ocean. Over the weekend, volunteer veterinarians prepared the donkeys that will be sent to Eagle Eye Sanctuary and Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue in California. The team planned to castrate about 150 of the male donkeys to curb population growth and ensure longer lives for the equines. Inga Gibson, the Humane Society’s Hawaii state director, reassured residents and animal lovers that castration is a common procedure, stating that, “Animals live longer, healthier lives when they’re castrated”.
With the help of the Humane Society, compassionate residents, and volunteer veterinarians, Big Island donkeys will be properly cared for, further damages and deaths will be prevented, and residents can rest assured that Waikoloa will not be overrun by wild equines.
