Hawaii resort city issues dire warning over exploding feral animal population: ‘cannot tackle alone’

Honolulu officials are asking residents and visitors to stop feeding feral chickens, which they say are damaging property and creating unhygienic conditions across Oahu. The city has launched an education campaign and set traps, but officials say public cooperation is needed because people have tampered with or vandalised the traps.

Residents have complained for years about noise, damaged gardens, droppings and chickens on roads; one resident reported seeing groups of 12 to 15 in the roadway. A 2022 bill proposing state funding to address the problem failed to advance. Some residents have also linked the recurring chicken population to illegal cockfighting and the dumping of unwanted birds, but it is unclear who is feeding the chickens or how much each group contributes.