The Department of Land and Natural Resources is reminding Kaua‘i residents to be mindful of Albatross breeding season between now and July. Laysan albatross nest primarily in Hawai‘i - returning to the same breeding areas each year and laying only a single egg. Their ground level nests make the birds and their young vulnerable to attacks from domesticated dogs and cats.
But the albatross are also vulnerable to a long term threat from climate change as rising oceans cover their nesting areas further up the Hawaiian chain.
Brooke McFarland is a biologist with the DLNR’s Division of Aquatic Resources.
The Laysan albatross are listed as “near threatened” and their population on Kaua‘i is slowly rebuilding after a lengthy absence. Officials from the DLNR are urging residents along coastal areas to keep their cats indoors and dogs leashed.
