Posted on: Wednesday, February 11, 2004

Nene death ruled accident

Advertiser Staff

HILO, Hawai'i — A nene that died after being struck by a coconut thrown by a boy at Leleiwi Beach Park last year was killed accidentally, state investigators have concluded.

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources investigated the Sept. 7 death of the nene and decided that no action should be taken against the boy or his family.

"While skipping small-sized coconuts over the water, a single coconut hit the nene, causing the injury that resulted in its death," said Peter Young, chairman of the Board of Land and Natural Resources.

"Our investigation concluded that the death was an accident," Young said. "After careful review of all the evidence associated with this case, including eyewitness statements from those closest to the incident, we have closed our investigation."

Young said officials with the Hawai'i County prosecutor's office, the state Department of the Attorney General and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service concurred with the findings.

A witness claimed the 9-year-old boy threw a rock at the bird. The boy's foster parents expressed remorse for the incident but said the child did not intend to kill the goose. Young said the family cooperated in the investigation.

The nene was one of a pair living in the park.

The nene, the Hawai'i state bird, is protected under state and federal law. Under the federal Endangered Species Act, harming a protected animal is punishable by up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $50,000.

Nene nearly became extinct by the mid-20th century, but today, there are about 1,300 nene statewide, with populations established on Kaua'i, Maui and the Big Island.