DOCARE officers cited  66-year-old Doreen Torres of Hilo after spotting her feeding feral cats in Queen Liliʻoukalani Park and Gardens.

Torres was issued two citations for violating state endangered and threatened species laws which prohibit the feeding of protected wildlife, since nēnē may eat the cat food. Officers also alleged Torres put out food for feral cats yesterday as well as last Saturday.

Torres is scheduled to appear in Hilo District Court on June 21. The charges against her are both misdemeanors.

DOCARE has stepped up patrols in the park after it was reported that a one-month-old nēnē gosling died from toxoplasmosis, a disease carried in the feces of cats.

The DLNR recently issued a news release detailing the concerns wildlife biologists have with cat feeding in public spaces, particularly at Queen Liliʻuokalani Park.

DLNR Photo