Birds, Cats, and Kuleana: What the History and Science Actually Tell Us

**Author: Greg "Pu'uwai Aloha" Baker, MBA CCM
** January 27, 2026
**Copyright 2026 - All Rights Reserved
**Hawaii Animal Advocacy Org

Hawaiʻi’s native birds matter deeply. They are part of our culture, our stories, and our connection to ʻāina. When people hear that birds are disappearing, it’s natural to want a clear reason — and a clear solution.

Over time, many of us have been told a simple story:

"that cats are the reason birds are going extinct, and that killing cats is necessary to save the birds."

But when we slow down and look at the science and the history together, a very different picture emerges!

Extinction in Hawaiʻi Didn’t Happen All at Once

Bird extinctions in Hawaiʻi did not happen because of one species or one moment.

They happened over many centuries, across different human periods, with different pressures at different times.

Before Western contact...

Some birds went extinct after the first Polynesian settlers arrived. This was due to:

hunting for food,
clearing land for farming,
and the introduction of the Polynesian rat.

This was not cruelty — it was survival, and it happened everywhere humans settled new lands.

After Western contact...

Many of the birds people know today disappeared during and after colonization, when:

forests were cleared on a massive scale,
birds were hunted for trade,
mosquitoes were introduced, bringing avian malaria,
invasive predators like rats and mongoose spread rapidly.

This period caused enormous ecological damage — far beyond anything earlier systems created.

Today...

Birds are still at risk because:

habitat is fragmented,
disease has expanded with climate change,
rats and mongoose continue to destroy nests,
and ecosystems remain out of balance.

Where Do Cats Fit In?

Cats arrived relatively late in Hawaiʻi’s history.

When scientists look carefully at bird extinctions, they do not find evidence that cats were the main cause of extinction for any Hawaiian bird species.

That doesn’t mean cats never hunt birds. It means something important:

science does not show that cats are the reason birds went extinct — or that killing cats would have saved them.

Every extinction studied involved multiple causes, especially habitat loss, disease, rats, and mongoose. Cats may appear as one factor in some situations, but they are not identified as the primary driver or the primary predator.

Why This Distinction Matters

When complex history is reduced to a single villain, people are pushed toward false choices:

birds versus cats,
conservation versus compassion,
cruelty versus care.

But these are not real choices.

They are shortcuts that avoid dealing with harder truths.

Killing cats does not:

restore forests,
stop avian malaria,
control rats or mongoose,
or repair centuries of land misuse.

What it does do is distract from solutions that actually work.

Understanding Kuleana Across Time

This history is not about blame. It is about kuleana.

Kanaka Maoli kuleana reflects living with ʻāina through subsistence and relationship.
Colonial kuleana reflects large-scale disruption of land, species, and balance.
Our kuleana today belongs to all of us — to respond with honesty, humility, and care.

Aloha ʻāina does not ask us to erase one life to protect another.
It asks us to restore balance with wisdom.

What Science Can — and Cannot — Say

Science can tell us:

that extinctions are multi-causal,
that habitat loss and disease are dominant threats,
that rats and mongoose are major predators,
and that humane management reduces harm over time.

Science cannot tell us:

that cats alone caused extinctions,
that killing cats would fix the problem,
or that cruelty today corrects harm from the past.

When claims go beyond these limits, they stop being science.

A Better Way Forward

Protecting birds and acting with compassion are not opposing goals.

Real conservation in Hawaiʻi means:

restoring habitat,
controlling disease,
addressing rats and mongoose,
managing cat populations humanely,
and grounding decisions in truth, not fear.

When we replace scapegoating with understanding,
we make space for solutions that honor both science and aloha ʻāina.

Closing Thought

Extinction in Hawaiʻi reflects centuries of human impact.

Our kuleana today is not to find something to blame — but to choose balance, truth, and care going forward!

>>> FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE SEE THE TRUTH SHEET TITLED "Cats, Birds, and Extinction in Hawaiʻi: What the Science Actually Shows" WHICH PROVIDES A VERY DETAILED AND TECHNICAL REVIEW ALONG WITH IMPORTANT PEER REVIEWED STUDIES THAT THIS IS BASED ON.
Click Here for Truth Sheet

About The Author

Greg Puʻuwai Aloha Baker holds an MBA and a College Certificate in Community Cat Management from the University of the Pacific, a program focused on effective, humane methods to stabilize and reduce free-roaming cat populations. The program was taught by Stacey LeBaron, a nationally recognized expert with over 30 years of experience in community cat management, shelter operations, and TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return). LeBaron is best known for her leadership in the groundbreaking Newburyport, Massachusetts TNR project that successfully reduced a waterfront colony of 300 cats to zero by 2009, and for founding CommunityCatsPodcast.com.

Greg has been deeply involved in cat rescue and advocacy for more than five years, co-managing multiple community cat colonies in Pāhoa on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi as well as creating a mini-cat sanctuary for hard to adopt Community Cats. Through consistent TNR work, he has personally trapped, neutered, and returned over 70 cats. He also volunteers regularly at PetFix Spay/Neuter MASH events, providing critical support for both cats and dogs.

Greg’s commitment to humane cat management extends to policy advocacy. He founded Hawaiʻi Animal Advocacy Organization and led community efforts opposing the Hawaiʻi County Cat Feeding Ban (Bill 51), gathering over 7,500 petition signatures to defend community-based, science-driven animal welfare practices.

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