Photo Gallery
Nene Reintroduction
The nene, or Hawaiian goose, were extirpated (wiped out) from Maui by the 1890s. They were reintroduced to Haleakala via the release of captive-raised birds. In 1962, nene from England and the Island of Hawai‘i were delivered to Maui and were carried into the crater by park rangers and naturalists and Maui Boy Scouts. They strapped on boxes holding geese and hiked 9.8 miles to Paliku where the geese were temporarily released in an open-top pen until they adapted to their surroundings. About 500 nene were released in Haleakala National Park between 1962 and late 1970s. Today, there are about 250-350 nene in the park. The nene has been the official State Bird of Hawai‘i since 1957 and was put on the Federal endangered species list in 1967.
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