I’iwi, Hawaiian Honey Creeper, at home near the top of Haleakala (10,000’). A Hawaii reef wildlife dealer testified before Maui and the Big Island County Councils that aquarium extraction is no different than fishing. She howls, “You eat fish don’tcha?”
Could she capture these birds for the pet trade and howl, “You eat chicken don’tcha?”
Aquarium extraction is a last vestige of trafficking in wildlife for the pet trade, with no more basis in morality than netting the extremely rare i’iwi for personal amusement.