March Newsletter 2026

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Celebrate 'Alae 'Ula

SOS admits a few 'alae 'ula each year. In 2025 we admitted five.

If you have spent time among Kaua'i’s wetland areas, you may have spotted the red forehead shield of an 'alae 'ula / Hawaiian Gallinule among the foliage. According to Hawaiian mo'olelo / legends, the 'alae 'ula received this red mark as a result of being the bird that brought fire (read through some of these stories here). These days the 'alae 'ula can be found wading through water around Kaua’i and O’ahu. However, these birds used to be present among other Hawaiian islands. 'Alae 'ula are considered an endangered species with only about 700 individuals left. .

Join Pacific Birds and their partners next month.

Interested in learning how you can support existing conservation efforts to help protect this species? Join Pacific Birds at their "Celebrate the 'Alae 'Ula" campaign launch on April 4th at Kukui Grove. The event is free and will have student art, crafts, and activities. Other organizations will also have booths to explore – including us! You can learn more here, we hope to see you there

Patient Spotlight

MAK119's foot on intake.

Our nēnē / Hawaiian Goose admission numbers are still climbing! This nēnē patient, MAK119, was brought to SOS earlier this month with a fishing lure hooked through its foot. Removing fishing hooks is a delicate process as maneuvering the hook too roughly or in the wrong direction can cause additional damage to tissues and muscle. Luckily for this patient, the hook was caught quite shallow through the top of one of the bird’s toes and removal was relatively quick! We are continuing to provide supportive care and wound treatment as we monitor for any signs of infection. We are hopeful this nēnē will make a swift recovery and be back out in the wild soon!

Behind the Scenes

The NWRA Symposium is just one of the annual conferences SOS attends.

Last month, SOS staff was once again able to attend the annual National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association (NWRA) symposium. This year’s symposium took us to Baton Rogue, LA. We always look forward to this opportunity to exchange knowledge and strengthen relationships with others in our field – it leaves us with a little extra inspiration. This year we learned a lot about treatment for head trauma, feathers, and radiographs! While we are constantly reassessing our protocols to make sure our patients are receiving the best care, the knowledge we learn at NWRA helps to give us a fresh perspective and ideas for new approaches.

Conservation Corner

NASA Funded Research at UH
University of Hawai'i at Hilo will be leading a project funded by NASA to better understand how Hawai'i’s coastlines can hold up to climate change

Nā Manu ʻElele
Get paid to hike through the Hawai'i Land Steward Program, a partnership between Kupu and the State of Hawaiʻi’s Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR)

SOS is an Unincorporated Nonprofit Association and fiscally sponsored by the Hawai'i Wildlife Center, a 501(c)(3) tax exempt, non-profit organization.

As the only Federal and State permitted wildlife facility on Kaua‘i, Save Our Shearwaters provides life-saving care to Hawai'i’s native birds in need. When you donate, you help us continue to rescue, rehabilitate, and release native wildlife. Mahalo nui loa from all of us at SOS (our feathered friends included)!

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