Two female and three male ʻalalā, bred in captivity, have been released into the wild on Maui. The birds have spent the last ten months forming a social group to help them adapt to their new environment. Conservation teams are hopeful that this bond will aid in their transition. Dr. Hanna Mounce explained, “When you put birds in a captive environment, even though you’re trying to give them enrichment and care for them the right way, they are not doing all the things they need to do in the wild. They have to relearn those behaviors that came generations before them.” Each bird is fitted with transmitters for tracking.
Before their transfer by helicopter, staff from the Maui Bird Conservation Center (MBCC) and the Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project (MFBRP) participated in a traditional send-off ceremony with local hālau Nā Hanona Kūlike ʻO Piʻilani. Kumu Kaponoʻai Molitau said, “We were letting them know we need them to be around to thrive. So if they thrive, we all thrive.” He also emphasized the importance of conservation efforts: “They’re caring for the voice of that ancestor, so that one day we can have many of those voices returned.”
Molitau expressed his commitment to long-term restoration efforts: “I look forward to coming back in five years and seeing what those voices sound like. I look forward to future generations here on Maui being a part of this program, so that we can all collectively understand that it is our kuleana, it’s our responsibility, but it’s also a very big honor to be a part of that responsibility.”
The project involves collaboration between several organizations including San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and The Nature Conservancy.