DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) officers have cited a 66-year-old Hilo woman after spotting her feeding feral cats in Queen Liliʻoukalani Park and Gardens.

Doreen Torres was issued two citations for violating state endangered and threatened species laws which prohibit the feeding of protected wildlife, since nēnēmay eat the cat food.

Officers alleged Torres put out food for feral cats this morning and last Saturday.

DOCARE has stepped up patrols in the park, after it was reported last week that a one-month-old nēnēgosling died there. Toxoplasmosis, a disease carried in the feces of cats, is implicated in the gosling’s death.

Earlier today, the DLNR issued a news release detailing the concerns wildlife biologists have with cat feeding in public spaces, particularly at Queen Liliʻuokalani Park. https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/blog/2024/05/01/nr24-48/

Torres is schedule to appear in Hilo District Court on June 21. The charges against her are both misdemeanors.