[intro music] HIKI NŌ, Hawai‘i's New Wave of Storytellers.

Aloha, and welcome to this week's episode of HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i.

I'm Kailani Ibanez, a senior at H.P Baldwin High School on Maui.

I'm excited to be here in the PBS Hawai‘i Studio on O‘ahu to host this show that highlights the excellent work of Hawai‘i's New Wave of Storytellers.

On this special episode of HIKI NŌ, we're celebrating the animals that brighten our lives.

We’ll take you from O‘ahu to Maui, Kaua‘i and Hawai‘i Island, where you'll meet savvy dogs, peaceful goats, strong mules, and even a charming blind rooster.

We'll also share stories of the special bonds we share with animals, especially the ones that have skills that go beyond our human capabilities.

To begin, let's watch this profile produced by students of Highlands Intermediate School on O‘ahu about a woman whose life passion is to give animals a safe and supportive home.

I have rooster who is blind.

I have a blind rooster, so I couldn't let him go because he wouldn't be able to eat.

So, he became part of our family.

[ocean wave] [rooster crows] Colleen Hokutan loves animals.

I have a whole bunch of pets – fur babies.

I care for three dogs, two cats, four birds, and three chickens.

Make sure they're fed.

If they're sick, make sure I take care of them.

Get them to the vet regularly.

Give them lots of love.

That's my job.

This isn't something the Kalihi woman started recently.

I have always rescued animals, even when I was a little girl.

Um, pretty much drove my parents a little crazy because if we went anywhere that there were stray dogs, um, I'd want to bring them all home, um, or I'd cry the whole time if we couldn't.

But often this retired elementary school teacher feels she doesn't find her pets.

They find her.

Well, Nori, she was, was a litter that was not being taken care of.

And so, a friend of mine said, "You need to have another puppy," and that was when I just lost my other dog that I had taken care of.

So, I started with Nori, um, very nervous dog.

Um, she's emotionally, emotionally, she's, she's nervous and shy.

And then I got Hoku who was hit by a car.

It cost a lot of money to amputate and keep her in the hospital for a while at the vet.

And the people at work got together, they gifted me money so that I could pay my vet bills.

And then I got Betty, and her front leg is deformed.

But Betty followed kids to school, and when I got to school, the office said, “There's Mrs. Hokutan,” and handed Betty over to me, took her to my vet.

She didn't have any microchip, nobody reported her missing, and then she became part of my family.

Uh, I have Rooster who is blind.

I have a blind rooster.

I found him on my planter in the middle of the night.

Actually, Hoku found him.

The next morning, he was still on my planter.

And when I looked closely at him, one eye was completely missing.

One eye was gone, and the other eye was swollen shut.

So, I couldn't let him go because he wouldn't be able to eat.

So, he became part of our family, and we healed his eye and, and now he's blind but, um, I think he has a good life.

The newest addition to our family is Swag, who is what they call a wobbly cat.

Um, he, his, uh, brain didn't develop fully.

So, when I got him as a tiny kitten, again here on the driveway, he was just rolling.

He couldn't stand still.

Every time he wanted to move, he'd be shaking.

So, wanted to find him a home.

Nobody wanted swag.

So, one year later, we have Swag.

Swag may be the newest addition to the Hokutan Family, but with Colleen’s passion for animals, we are certain this isn't her last.

This is Rica Marie Ragasa from Highlands Intermediate School, for HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawai‘i.

[ocean wave] Many people will find comfort and strength through tough times by relying on their animal companions.

Our next story from the HIKI NŌ archives was produced by the students of Kamehameha Schools Maui Middle School.

It highlights a Maui woman who turned her lifelong love of dogs into a career of helping others by training therapy dogs.

[dog panting] My name is Sue Yoshimura, and I'm co-owner with my husband of Land of Oz Maui, which is a dog daycare center, uh, agility and training.

Sue Yoshimura helps others through the dogs that she trains.

Sit.

I train dogs.

I compete dogs.

I do therapy work with dogs.

For Mrs. Yoshimura, dogs hold a special place in her heart.

Oh, I got into doing therapy dogs, because, um, eight years ago when my mom was in hospice, and um, because, as I said, we grew up with dogs all our life, and my mom just loves dogs, and she was in hospice, and it was probably four or five days before she was passing.

So, she was not real strong.

A lady came in with a little dog, and, um, she actually sat up in bed and put the dog on her lap and she petted it and she just kind of lit up, and, you know, and to see her, you know, be so happy.

That was the first time I've really ever seen, um, a therapy dog at work.

So, I wanted to get into it.

Mrs. Yoshimura helps others through the dogs in the same way that she was helped as a child.

Well, the dogs helped me overcome it by just giving me unconditional love and giving me strength by watching how strong they were.

Helping other people helps me by just having a good feeling knowing that I'm kind of blessing someone, you know.

To help somebody else, it makes you feel good inside to you know that they're being made happy.

They make me be stronger because they're such stoic creatures themselves.

Mrs. Yoshimura has advice for anyone who may be experiencing sadness or struggles.

My advice to anyone who's experiencing tough times or have lost someone, I would say always look to the Lord first.

That'll help you have strength to get through the situation, what's happening on that time in your life, because that will, is only a season in your life and things will change.

Albert Einstein once said, only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile, and for Mrs. Yoshimura, that certainly is the case.

This is Amaya Genovia from Kamehameha Schools Maui Middle School, for HIKI NŌ.

Sit.

Good boy.

[ocean wave] Now I don't know about you, but a fun fact about me is that I love fun facts about animals.

And where better to dive into a sea of knowledge that our very own diverse Hawai‘i shores.

Students from Waikiki Elementary School on O‘ahu partner with the Waikiki Aquarium to spotlight some of their special marine creatures.

Let's watch.

Welcome to the edge of the reef.

Here you'll only find Hawaiian fish.

Can you find a fish that looks like a brown pokey pineapple?

That's the Long Spined Porcupine Fish.

Porcupine fish are brown and blend in with their background.

This is called camouflage.

They use camouflage to protect themselves from predators.

Porcupine fish have very delicate fins and cannot swim that well.

So, they are mainly found in calm waters and coral reefs where they can eat urchins, snails, and crabs.

Porcupine fish have many ways to protect themselves.

They puff up when they get frightened by a predator and use their spikes to make them look very big and scary.

Did you know that when a porcupine fish puffs up, they don't fill up with air but actually fill up with water?

Do you know porcupine fish are poisonous?

Predators know not to eat them because if they do, they will be poisoned and it will have a very harmful effect on them.

[ocean wave] This next story comes from Konawaena Middle School and Konawaena High School in Kealakekua on Hawai‘i Island.

It's a fun story from our archives about the lessons goats can teach us humans about social graces and interactions.

[goat bleating] On the Big Island of Hawai‘i, an organic farm is dedicated to helping abused, orphaned, and abandoned goats.

We had a neighbor who brought us a baby goat in the bottom of a bucket, and the Dancing Goat Sanctuary was born.

We had never met or worked with goats before, and it captured all of our hearts here on the farm.

And so Starina, we give her credit for starting the Dancing Goat Sanctuary.

Starina became the first of many rescues at the sanctuary that has provided a safe environment where neglected animals can thrive.

Some of our largest rescues have actually been, um, from folks in the community who have been to the farm, and they recognize when an animal is in need and needs help, and they will give us a call.

And sometimes people just show up at the gate, and, um, we work with them to help them find a safe, secure place for the animals that often they care, they care very deeply for.

Shawna Gunnarson mentors youth in an after-school program called Ka Hana No‘eau.

The students learn about sustainability, self-determination, and how to treat animals compassionately.

Good enough?

Most of the goats here are pretty nice, as long as you don't trigger them by touching them on their, uh, nose because that, because when goats fight with their horns, they usually hit like right here and here.

I want students to understand how their actions impact others.

And with animals, we can see this very clearly because animals are very good about giving us feedback to our actions.

So, for example, when students come out to the farm and they're waving their arms and they're being very loud, the animals have a very obvious reaction to those loud noises and those uncontrolled actions.

During my time on Ms. Gunnarson’s farm, I discovered that my energy levels were way too high for the animals and sometimes the other people on the farm to cope with.

Like, whenever I would approach an animal, they would either scamper away, or like leave the area slowly so as to not cause my energy levels to spike higher.

That made me realize that sometimes you need to be calm and collected and disciplined in life in order to get what you wanted.

And so that applies to all areas, and that's what I learned from the farm.

[chickens clucking] Students not only learn how to interact with animals, but that animals have social relationships that humans are not aware of.

Visitors who spend time with the animals learn why animals have developed particular behaviors.

Someone, so they thought he was trying to be aggressive, but he wasn't.

He just wanted to play.

Mahatma Gandhi once said, "The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members.” The Dancing Goat Sanctuary emphasizes trust, understanding, and patience, setting a path for both animals and youth to build lasting connections.

This is Xavier Chung from Konawaena High School, for HIKI NŌ.

[ocean wave] Animals sure have a way of capturing our hearts.

This next story from Kamehameha Schools Maui High School was one of our most memorable from HIKI NŌ’s second season back in 2011.

The students there chose to profile a Haiku couple who have been caring for injured and ill animals for more than four decades.

Hidden away on a two-acre parcel in Haiku, Maui lies the home of Sylvan Schwab and his guests.

But they are not your typical guests.

They are all orphans or injured animals.

[phone rings] Maui Animal Refuge, this is Sylvan.

Can I help you?

The East Maui Animal Refuge, more affectionately known as ‘the booboo zoo,’ is home to over 50 cats, 50 birds, 25 deer, 16 goats, two horses, two pigs, one cow, and an endless amount of fowl.

I can't think of any animal that is on the island that we have not had here at one time or another because we take in anything if it's in a life-threatening situation.

Each animal comes to the refuge with the story.

Some more interesting than others, such as the case of Baby, the blind cow.

She was born blind, which is why we took her in.

She was already named Baby when she came.

But, um, along with pretty much all of the animals that we have here, they come because they're in some kind of life-threatening situation.

Uh, this is Gabriel.

Gabriel is our oldest goat and as you can see, he's really scrawny, um, because if he was a person, he'd be about 95 years old.

And, uh, Gabriel came because he was attacked as a little goat by dogs and his neck was torn open and his ear was split.

Uh, so Gabriel has been here since he was a little guy.

So, what motivates a person to turn their home into an animal sanctuary?

Well, it turns out that the animals aren't the only ones with a special story.

We started out just doing this because when I met my wife Suzie, um, I found out shortly after I met her that she had cancer and that it was not treatable, uh, through allopathic medicine on the mainland.

So, she basically came to Maui to die.

And part of her treatment was occupational therapy to have a drive to survive.

So, when I found out she had cancer, I started collecting sick little critters for her, and that's how the booboo zoo started.

And over 30 years now, it's evolved into this, as Suzie has been clear of cancer for almost 30 years now.

And now we've saved the life of the animals who in fact helped save her life.

Even with Suzie being cancer-free, the Schwab's continue to share their home and give their love unconditionally to injured and unwanted animals.

Recently Sylvan was denied a renewal of his wildlife rehabilitation permit.

Sylvan and the Department of Land and Natural Resources are currently working together to resolve these problems so the Booboo Zoo can and will continue its mission.

But we still have this need to care for animals.

And we established the Booboo Zoo as a no kill facility.

We're going to work it out.

One way or another we have to work it out because we have to do what we do.

We have to take care of animals in distress.

Sylvan credits the animals for saving Suzie's life, but one could say the credit goes both ways.

No matter how you look at it, the Booboo zoo is truly a home built with love.

From the East Maui Animal Refuge in Haiku, Maui, I'm Nikki Davis reporting for HIKI NŌ.

[ocean wave] This next archive story from the students of Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School on Kaua‘i explores what it takes to train a rescue dog.

For all you dog owners out there, do you think your dog has what it takes?

Dogs are often considered man's best friend, but members of the Kaua‘i Search and Rescue Canine Team, they're absolutely essential to finding missing people on the island of Kaua‘i.

Our dogs are so loyal to us that they're always also looking out for us.

They'll run ahead at times, but then they'll turn around and check back and see where you're at and see if you're following them.

So, it's really just both of us working together.

Any dog is welcome to become a member of the KSAR team.

Mainly, handlers look for the special characteristics in a canine.

There's of course obvious things that you want to look at.

One is curiosity, you want to get that little puppy that is very curious about you.

You want ones that, little puppies that are brave, ones that will, you throw the ball, and they'll bring it back, and, um, puppies that love people.

Search dogs begin training as puppies.

They start off with simple exercises to get comfortable with their handler.

Then they move on to find certain targets.

They're also trained to receive special certifications.

The third part is you go find the handler, come back and then go tell the person that there is a hidden, a victim, a subject has been found there.

That is the essence of search and rescue.

My girl Astro, we started her at eight weeks old training for search and rescue.

And we would be out in the yard and trying to find, uh, anybody that would come by.

Anybody who would come visit us we'd say, “Oh could you hide for us?” And that's just the start of the training.

You train every day in your yard in your backyard; you train on the weekends with the team.

The main goal of a rescue mission is to find the missing victim alive.

KSAR members and their dogs are prepared for the unexpected, and the unfortunate.

Some dogs are trained for finding, um, HRD which is, uh, human remains.

So, in, in case we're out on a search and, it'd be really unfortunate, but if a person had passed away, we don't want our dogs to, to run away from that type of smell.

So, some of our dogs are trained to actually find people that have been deceased.

To create a greater chance of a successful mission, the dog handlers build up a special relationship with their dogs to create a feeling of companionship.

The dog and the handler is one team, is one unit.

That relationship is very close.

Our dogs for years have slept on our beds; live in our house.

Actually, it's their house, we just pay the mortgage.

Always a close relationship between dog and handler makes the team work very well.

We've had a find up in, uh, a young hunter from Kaua‘i got away from, from his group early in the morning.

We were out two, three o'clock in the morning, and he had to go back to a truck.

Came back and he got lost for two days.

To be able to tell his dad, who was very deep in the Wai‘ale‘ale area, that we had found his son, to watch his dad just hug his son, I think that was, that's chicken skin.

I mean that's just there's, there's, there's nothing any better than that.

Go, go.

Come on.

The bonds, training, and commitment among members and rescue dogs reflect one purpose: they are here for the people.

This organization, made up of all volunteers, and their dogs work to bring closure to those who are missing their loved ones.

This is Brent Torres from Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School, for HIKI NŌ.

[ocean wave] Okay, wow.

Dogs really are humans’ courageously cute best friends.

This next piece is a student reflection from Āliumanu Middle School eighth grader Skye Gussenhoven on O‘ahu, whose dogs inspire her to want to become a veterinarian.

I realized that animals need more than just love to be happy.

[ocean wave] Like most eight-year-olds, my dogs don't like brushing their teeth, but it's an important part of keeping them healthy.

Hello, my name is Skye Gussenhoven and I'm an eighth grader from Āliamanu Middle School, and these are my dogs Jazzie and Skipper.

One day when my dogs went to their yearly checkup, we found out they had bad teeth.

[car door shuts] Unfortunately, this caused them to have to get some of their teeth pulled out.

We then had to start brushing their teeth.

I realized that animals need more than just love to be happy.

They need the help of an expert to make sure they're healthy as well.

This inspired me to want to be that expert.

Seeing animals happy makes me happy.

And that's how the two freeloaders that sleep on my couch inspired me.

[ocean wave] The final piece I want to share with you comes from Seabury Hall Middle School on Maui.

Preserving Hawai‘i's natural ecosystems is no easy task, but luckily at Haleakalā National Park, visitors and park rangers can rely on the strong backs of mules to help lighten that load.

Haleakalā National Park on Maui has been using mules since the 1930s.

The crater was designated as a national park in 1916, and it is protected by the Federal Wilderness Act, which states: An area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man.

There shall be no temporary road, no use of motor vehicles, no landing of aircraft.

Well, we use mules here in Haleakalā because Haleakalā is a designated wilderness, so, um, there, in general, there's a restriction, there's no motorized vehicles, motorized equipment period allowed.

During the 1930s, the trail system and the wilderness cabins were constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps.

The mules carried all of the lumber and all of the food and supplies for the crews that built the cabins and the trails.

Almost a century later, Michael McKinnon, the current animal caretaker, is preparing to lead his meals into the crater on a 28-mile round trip journey.

What do you say, Lefty?

He and his coworkers are packing supplies to maintain the cabin and assist in conservation projects.

Like, I can pack lumber, I can pack plants, anything you can throw at me up to a certain point, I can, I can get in there on the back, backs of the mules somehow.

If you want me to take something into the, into the back country for you, I'm going to do it.

I can cruise in there faster than you can hike.

My, my riding mule Jake will move at about four miles an hour.

Hup, mule, hup.

Good boy, Jake.

Get up, mules.

Get up, Toby.

Get up Jake.

Haleakalā is known as one of the quietest places on Earth.

To minimize noise pollution, which disturbs both people and native species, the park strives to use mechanized vehicles as little as possible.

Upon arriving at each cabin, there is work to be done: unloading supplies, such as gas, tanks, and wood, and assisting other park workers in the rat eradication program.

The eggs of Nēnē birds, an endangered species, are threatened by rats.

In addition to traps, the mules have carried in native plants such as ulei, a‘ali‘i, and ‘ahinahina for transplanting.

It is late in the day when they reached their last stop at Palikū.

The dependable mules have once again brought the supply safely and quietly into the crater.

The following day, they make the long journey back across the crater, the Napali mountain trail, then back to base camp.

This is Innes Asher from Seabury Hall Middle School, for HIKI NŌ.

[ocean wave] That concludes our show.

We hope you've enjoyed the work of Hawai‘i's New Wave of Storytellers.

Don't forget to subscribe to PBS Hawai‘i on YouTube and follow HIKI NŌ on Instagram and TikTok to enjoy the best stories from Hawai‘i youth.

I'll see you next week for more proof that Hawai‘i students HIKI NŌ, can do.

Stay tuned after the credits and get to know more about our host.

[outro music] [upbeat music] I have many nick, uh, a couple of nicknames.

My parents called me Big G, Jr.

Mom.

Um, I did junior mom my younger sibling a lot, and I'm now the mom friend, so that one makes sense.

And my, a lot of people in sports call me Kai.

It's a lot easier to scream Kai than it is to scream Kailani.

Does Word Girl count?

Yes, Word Girl.

I loved word Girl.

And then the dog, the talking dog from Martha Speaks, also love the dog.

Something I can't live without is probably my backpack.

Like honestly, my backpack is bigger than I am.

I'm the mom friend of my group.

So, I will just pull out like half of a medicine cabinet.

Do you need Tylenol?

I got you.

I got band aids.

I was just gonna say spam musubi but then I thought of poke and I had to change my answer.

So, definitely gonna be poke.

Okay, this is going to be really sappy, but one of my favorite childhood memories is the day my younger sibling was born.

I get home and I have a new roommate now.

Very fun.

And my parents gave me a build-a-bear, like, dolphin that they put a little heart on the inside like you do with build-a-bears, and they said it's from my younger sibling.

And I just remember that a lot because the first time I met my younger sibling, they also gave me a toy.

So, that was fun.

I got a letter from somebody who used to know me, um, the check in clerk at like, my parent’s dentist's office and she said I saw your HIKI NŌ, and that was like the moment of what I'm doing is so much bigger than what I am.

So that's one of the most exciting things about it.