Foster parents say 9-year-old did not intend to kill nene

By Timothy Hurley
Advertiser staff writer

The foster parents of the boy who killed an endangered Hawaiian goose at a Hilo park on Sunday have come forward to express "extreme remorse" and accept responsibility, a state official said yesterday.

The legal guardians of the 9-year-old volunteered information about the Leleiwi Beach Park incident Wednesday after learning from news reports that investigators were looking for the unidentified boy's parents, said Deborah Ward of the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Ward said the incident remains under investigation, and no enforcement action had been taken. She said the foster parents, of East Hawai'i, claimed the boy did not intend to kill the nene.

An eyewitness said the child threw a rock at the bird, breaking its neck. The couple claimed the boy threw a small coconut, Ward said — though they admitted they weren't watching him at the time.

The state bird is protected by state and federal law. Under the federal Endangered Species Act, harming a protected animal brings a maximum fine of $50,000 and/or a year in prison.

In 1997, a Kihei, Maui, man was fined $4,000 and ordered to serve 300 hours of community service for clubbing a nene to death at the Sandalwood Golf Course in Waikapu. In that case, the judge said the evidence demonstrated an act of "extreme cruelty" and "anger."