Odds & Ends

 So, on our daily walks in the countryside, you never know what you might run in to.  There's a lot of "wild" on the Big Island or "feral" as they say.  Feral donkeys, feral boars, feral chickens and roosters, feral cats, feral sheep, and even feral mongooses (yes, that's the proper plural).  Some of these animals obviously were introduced by settlers and as they multiplied, they escaped into the wild to become feral.  It's not unusual to see these animals in the countryside as you travel down the roads and more than a few of them have met their demise with a four wheeled vehicle.  So far, the most we've met were some feral chickens.  One we saw had chicks.  We thought of catching it  and taking the chicks, so Marilyn could increase her hen supply, but then we're still city slickers and didn't know if they'd put up a fight.  Marilyn said it might be hard to domesticate them in to regular egg layers.

Speaking of wild, we pass by the rooster field everyday and were wondering why they were chained up in their pens.  Marilyn, our Hawaii history teacher, told us that these roosters are being raised for fighting.  While it is totally illegal to have cockfights in Hawaii, the law is often overlooked because of the fact that it has been a cultural activity for years.  They certainly sound like they're ready to rumble as they crow like crazy all day long.

One animal that Hawaii doesn't have is snakes.  Indiana Jones would love this place.

Mother hen and her chicks.

Feral rooster.

Rooster Pens for fighting cocks

This turkey is actually someone's pet.  Go figure. The lady that owns him
said she'd like to spend a white Christmas one time somewhere.  We told her
we were happy to spend a non-white Christmas here and that maybe she
should count her blessings.