Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 10, Number 2, 1 February 1993 — Ke ao nani [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Ke ao nani

Naturally Hawanan

by Patrick Ching artist/environmentalist

Hawaiian wallabies?

Bigger than a rabbit, and smaller than a kangaroo, the elusive rock-wallaby has been hopping about the cliffs and valleys of leeward O'ahu for over 75 years. " The populahon of rock-walla-bies in Hawai'i today directly descends from a single pair of wallabies that were brought to Hawai'i from Australia and escaped from a private eolleetion on 'Ālewa Heights, O'ahu in 1916.

Wallabies are of the order of mammals known as marsupials. Marsupials carry their young in a poueh after they are born. Other members of this order include the kangaroo, the opossum, the koala and the Tasmanian Devil. James (Skip) Lazell, founder of The Conservation Agency, has

been coming to Hawai'i to study the wallaby for a number of years. He believes that the wallabies in Hawai'i differ in markings, bone structure and even blood composition from any wallaby species in Australia. As for why he thinks the wallabies in Hawai'i are different from any species found in Australia, Lazell says, "There are three basic theories to explain this phenomenon. There are those who suggest that the species of wallaby that was brought to Hawai'i over 70 years ago has since become extinct in their homeland of Australia. Others will suggest that the wallabies in Hawai'i are a hybrid between two Australian species. The third theory, and the one I believe to be true, is that due to the limited gene pool

and the Hawaiian climate and habitat, we are witnessing a case of rapid evolution." "What we have here," according to Lavell, "is a truly unique species of wallaby in Hawai'i." Unlike many creatures that have been introduced to Hawai'i by man, the wallabies have had seemingly little or no negative impact on Hawai'i's native environment. That is because the wallabies live in an area that consists primarily of introduced vegetation. They feed on fruits and berries such as guava and Christmas berry. The current population of rock wallabies in Hawai'i is estimated at 100 animals. Recently a pair of wallabies was released in the cliffs at Waimea Falls Park in hopes that they will start a coiony there.