Came here to this thread to add this!! Yes, the release of non-native Mongooses to "control the rats" significantly contributed to the loss of many species in Hawaii.
Here is a link to learn more about the invasive mongoose in HawaiiInvasive Mongoose ! .
Chickens are invasive to the Hawaiian islands, compete for food with the native birds, and are an intermediary for disease between commercial poultry and wild populations.
One could argue that humans are the absolute worst invasive species ever. So what is your solution besides trying to be high muckety muck? Chickens are here to stay. If only they would eat coqui frogs! The Polynesians that first inhabited Hawai’i hundreds of years ago brought a variety of plants and animals with them in order to survive. Included in those original animals were dogs, pigs & chickens. So sure they may be invasive but they were essential for the original Polynesian settlers of Hawai’i to survive. Google “Hawaiian canoe plants & animals” to learn more.
Setting aside the pointless misanthropy, the reason for modern invasive species management is to protect biodiversity during this period of human development and abrupt climate change. Little or nothing can done about the historic introduction of invasive species by pre-industrialized civilizations.
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u/VermicelliNo2422 Jan 01 '24
And rats. They’re two of the most devastating ecological forces that humans have helped spread across the planet.