(BIVN) – An emaciated ʻio with a broken beak was recently found in Mountain View, part of a troubling trend of “shootings and other harmful misconduct aimed at Hawaiian hawks” in recent years. 

The Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources shared photos of the abused ʻio, which was “no longer able to feed itself, the bird had to be euthanized.” The DLNR also shared a photo showing a Craigslist post that offered a free hawk in Mountain View. Officials say they have not confirmed if the ʻio in the Craiglist post was the same as the ʻio that was euthanized. 

From the Hawaiʻi DLNR:

Last month, a Mountain View community member found an emaciated ‘io on her property. It was missing the upper portion of its beak. This was reported to the Hawai‘i Wildlife Center (HWC) which contacted the DLNR Divisions of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) and Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW).

Raymond McGuire, a wildlife biologist with DOFAW, collected the ‘io and transferred it to the HWC. Examination of the hawk determined the injury wasn’t natural, but human caused. No longer able to feed itself, the bird had to be euthanized.

HWC received a tip the previous week about a posting on Craigslist that offered a free hawk in Mountain View. Posted photos of that bird showed similar feather, eye and cere (lump above the beak) color to the hawk they admitted, though it still had its full beak. The post has since been deleted. It hasn’t been determined if the two incidents are related.

Craigslist post, image courtesy Hawaiʻi DLNR

“I just want to make people aware that these types of abuses are happening in our backyards and if community members see something, please say something,” said McGuire.

In Hawaiʻi, endangered wildlife like the ‘io carry state protections. Hawai‘i Revised Statutes prohibit the “taking” of endangered or threatened species, which includes harming, killing, or otherwise disrupting them.

McGuire added: “We’ve received several reports in recent years of shootings and other harmful misconduct aimed at Hawaiian hawks. We can all contribute to the protection of our native ʻio and stop the trend of abuse if we keep our eyes open and speak up.”

The Hawaiʻi DLNR says you can report suspected illegal activity by calling the DLNR enforcement hotline at 808-643-3567 or use the DLNRTip app. For information on raptor rehabilitation and rescue, reach out to the Hawai‘i Wildlife Center at 808-884-5000.