Chickens raise ruckus in Moanalua Valley
By James Gonser
Advertiser Urban Honolulu Writer
Feathers are flying in Moanalua Valley over the persistent crowing of feral roosters.
Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser
After complaining to the city, state, police and the Hawaiian Humane Society with no results, residents in this otherwise quiet residential area called Rep. Glenn Wakai, D-31st (Salt Lake, Tripler), who is taking matters into his own hands.
Constituents called Rep. Glenn Wakai to complain about feral chickens that had settled into a vacant lot, so Wakai, with his office manager Garrett Umeda, set up a trap for the noisy birds.
About two dozen chickens have taken up roost in an empty lot between Ala Lani and Ala Aolani streets above the Moanalua Golf Course and are causing the most problems for adjacent residents.
"The chickens are a pain in the neck," said Hideo Miyahira, of Ala Aolani Street. "They crow, they crow, they crow, crow, crow."
It's so bad that when family comes to visit during the holidays, they can't sleep, said Miyahira.
"My two daughters come over for Christmas and spend about 2 1/2 weeks over here and they go nuts," said Miyahira. "A neighbor has a small baby. When you have a baby, that's tough. The baby wakes up and then the mother wakes up. It does bother a lot of people."
Ala Lani Street resident Martha Hirashima said she is forced to get up between 4:30 and 5 every morning as the roosters begin crowing.
"Every morning it's right by our bedroom window," said Hirashima, who lives right next to the property. "They roam in our yard and some of the neighbors feed them. That is a problem because it attracts mice."
Feral animals are a recurring problem in many parts of the state, from wild peacocks in Makaha, to chickens on Kaua'i and in Kane'ohe, to cats in Kaka'ako and Diamond Head. The chickens first appeared a couple of years ago in Moanalua Valley.
Wakai said many of the nearby residents are elderly and not able to take care of the problem, so he borrowed a humane chicken trap from the Humane Society, set it with chicken feed behind some of the homes and will check it every couple of days. Any chickens caught will be turned over to the Humane Society.
"I'm no expert on catching chickens," Wakai said. "I'm just seeing a problem and trying to come up with a solution."
If feral animals on private property become a problem, residents can buy traps and turn the animals over to the Humane Society, said Deborah Ward, spokeswoman for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.
"We would only do something on state land if it became a problem affecting native species," Ward said. "We don't have the resources to round up feral chickens."
Police spokeswoman Michelle Yu said officers will respond to complaints about chickens, but will only check to see if they belong to someone and are within the legal limit for chickens on private property.
Hawaiian Humane Society spokeswoman Jacque Smith said if chickens are turned in, they will try to find them a home.
"Most of our work is focused on owned or stray pets, not feral animals," Smith said. But, she said, "We try to find them good refuge."
Reach James Gonser at jgonser@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2431.
