Hawaiʻi has seen feral animal populations boom across the state, from chickens and cats, to pigs and goats, to deer, to sheep — and donkeys.
HPR first connected years ago with Dr. Brady Bergin because of a crazy idea he was working on. The mission? Sterilize the population of wild donkeys in Waikoloa that were suffering because of drought conditions.
The Kona nightingales were going into town and drinking water from people's swimming pools because they were so thirsty. Bergin reflected on that time, back in 2010 when Hawaiʻi Island rancher Stan Boteilho stopped by his clinic and asked him to help the donkeys.
He shared that at that time there were 600 donkeys in the area, unhealthy and with significant injuries.
"As a veterinarian, it's pretty easy to get involved in something like that, because by nature, that's what we do. It's kind of in our blood, and we're trained to be there to help animals in need. And that was an easy decision for me, plus, with the history and growing up there, and the donkeys being a part of the culture and everything," he said.
After sterilizing the male donkeys, they were able to get the number of donkeys in the area down to approximately 50. However, he said their goal was 25.
Bergin, who doesn't believe in lethal eradication, said their approach was to castrate the male donkeys and rehome as many as they could.
"It got kind of funny because it was at the point where I felt my friends weren't answering my calls because they were afraid I was going to try to pawn a donkey off on them," he told HPR.
He said the project made him love donkeys even more.
"I learned so much about them, and their whole demeanor is that they're so underappreciated and misunderstood. They're just an incredibly intelligent species that are just fascinating to me," he said.
He credits the efforts of the community, and in particular Boteilho and Sonny Keakealani.
Bergin now resides in Minnesota and is part of the faculty at the University of Minnesota.
This interview aired on The Conversation on March 28, 2025. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m.
