During a recent trip to Haleakala National Park on the island of Maui, I was fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of a pair of rare and beautiful Nene Geese (Branta sandvicensis), also known as Hawaiian Geese. This encounter inspired me to find out more about these lovely birds: why are they on the brink of extinction and what's being done to save them? As I researched the history of the Nene, I realized that theirs is an incredible story of survival.

Nenes, endemic to the Hawaiian islands, evolved in the absense of predators. But as humans moved back and forth between the Hawaiian islands and the mainland, they introduced predators such as mongooses, feral cats and dogs to the Hawaiian islands.

As a result, the Nene population was decimated by the predators. Their population plummeted to less than 30 birds in 1949. At that time, conservationists decided to initiate an intense captive breeding program to save the Nene from extinction.

Two captive populations were established, one in Pohakuloa, Hawaii and a second at the Wildfowl Trust in Slimbridge, England. After decades of captive breeding and careful reintroduction, the wild population of Nenes has now grown to more than 600 birds (200-250 in Maui, 350 in Hawaii, and 50 in Kauai).

Find out more about the Nene in the Nene Gooose (Branta sandvicensis) species profile and browse pictures of the Nene in the photo gallery.

If you would like to find out how you can help to save the Nene, visit the Friends of Haleakala National Park 'Adopt a Nene' site.