Case resolution
Meiqin Chen pled "No Contest" to a charge under HRS §183D-62 (taking, injuring, or destroying wild birds prohibited) and was convicted. The court imposed the statutory minimum fine of $200; with court fees the total came to $255. Nēnē are federally threatened and remain state endangered under HRS 195D, and it is the species-level take prohibition in state law that made prosecution possible at all.
View Court FilingWhere the birds are now
Resighting records from Wailoa River State Recreation Area since the case:
- The gander (HEP-4) has not been seen since May.
- The gosling (banded NYN) is still being seen around Hilo.
- The goose (NTC-4) has paired with a new mate and is nesting again.
What happened
March 23, 2023
A nēnē gosling was grabbed off the lawn at Wailoa River State Recreation Area in Hilo and stuffed into an onion bag. Lilinoe Kahalepauole, a Hawaiʻi Island resident, was there with her family. They saw it happen, stepped in, and called law enforcement. DLNR and Hilo police both responded.
What the family did on scene
- Witnessed and documented the capture.
- Stayed with the parent birds until officers arrived.
- Helped the responding DLNR biologist catch and contain the adult pair so the family could stay together.
Resolution
- The gosling was recovered alive from the onion bag.
- The family was moved to a Hawaiʻi Island nēnē sanctuary.
- The birds were held in an isolation pen for observation.
- The pair bond and the gosling's tie to its parents were preserved through the move.