HILO, Hawaii — The Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement cited 57-year-old Meiqin Chen of Hilo on Thursday morning after multiple witnesses reported seeing her take a nene gosling from Wailoa River State Recreation Area in Hilo and put it in her vehicle.
Witnesses reported the incident to the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife and the Hawaii Police Department, including a description of the vehicle and license plate number.
HFP found the vehicle in Keaau, about 10 miles from the recreation area. During a traffic stop, an HPD officer saw the gosling in an onion bag in a bucket in the back of the vehicle. A DOCARE officer arrived on scene with a DOFAW biologist, who confirmed it was a nene gosling.
DOCARE cited Chen for:
- §183D-62: Taking, injuring, or destroying wild birds is prohibited.
- §13-124-11 (a)1: With respect to endangered and threatened species of wildlife; take, possess, process, sell, offer for sale, or transport any such species, any young or egg, or the dead body or skin thereof within the state.
- §13-146-41: No person shall trap, take, catch, possess any wild bird or mammal, or disturb their habitat.
Chen’s initial court date is scheduled for May 19 in Hilo District Court.
Officials encourage any witnesses to wildlife harassment to call the 24-hour DOCARE hotline at 808-643-3567 or report suspected violations via the free DLNRTip app.
Sarah Yamanaka covers events, environmental and community news for Spectrum News Hawaii. She can be reached at sarah.yamanaka@charter.com.