One of Hawai’i islands most adorable creatures are the Kona Nightengales! They played an important role in Kona’s coffee industry in days past. These beloved donkeys bray and sing and hence gained their name, nightengales!
The animals are seldom used on the coffee lands these days, and some developments caused a bit of a displacement of the creatures. Over the years some had to be moved, many adopted and recently many of them hoped a plane for California!
There is a widespread effort taking place to keep the population under control, so as to avoid potential eradication. Residents of the island do love the donkeys and if there were a way to keep them on island and yet control the population plus keep them off of the roads, to maintain safety, that would be the best outcome!
These animals are not protected under federal law nor are they considered a threatened species, but we love to be able to brag that we have wild donkeys on our island that we cherish.