The wildlife of Maui is very diverse and interesting. You can see exotic animals, birds and fish throughout the island where each and every species will amaze the visitors. On Maui you can find Mongooses, Axis Deer, Feral Cats, Wild Boar, Hoary Bat, monk seal, hampback, dolphins, turtles,nene goose and more.
Only two mammals were native to Hawaii, the hoary bat (Lasiurus cinerus hawaiiensis) and the monk seal (Monachus schauinslandi). The Polynesians, and later Westerners, introduced a variety of animals, including the cow, goat, pig, rat, cat, and mongoose. All of these in a feral, or wild, state cause considerable destruction and along with man, are responsible for the extinction of many species in the plant and animal community.
The nene, which somewhat resembles the Canada goose, was once nearly extinct due to hunters and feral predators. Protection and propagation programs have increased its numbers, but it is still considered endangered.
Facts and figures:
* There are at least 1000 native species of flowering plants in Hawaii. 90 percent of these are endemic, found only in Hawaii. Of these, 10 percent are extinct and 30 percent are threatened or endangered.
* As far as native bird species go, there are 140 kinds but 85 are now extinct and 32 are endangered.
* Hawaii has only 0.2 percent of the land mass of the United States, but 75 percent of the country’s plant and bird extinctions are of Hawaiian species.
The number one threat to the ecosystems in Hawaii is non-native, invasive plants and animals. Plants native to Hawaii arrived in one of three ways: wind, wings, or water. By these methods, one new species arrived in Hawaii every 10,000 to 100,000 years. Today, alien species arrive, usually by way of humans, either intentionally or not, at a rate of 20 species per year.
The east side of Haleakala National Park, the Kipahulu Valley, is closed to the public and set aside as a Biological Preserve. Only park employees and researchers are allowed in and the area in intensely managed to protect it from invasion by non-native species. The reason I was on Maui for three months was to work for the National Park Service to try to eradicate an invasive plant called Miconia. The park is actually being unusually proactive and trying to address this problem plant before it gets to the park, which is why I was living and working in the Hana area. Haleakala National Park has also spent considerable time and money to put up and maintain 34 miles of fence to keep out non-native animals like goats, cows, and pigs that do not have predators and destroy native vegetation.
Sources.
www. maui.org
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