PC:DLNRRepresentatives with the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance have released a statement expressing sadness following an increase in honeycreeper deaths at the Maui Bird Conservation Center. The sudden and unexplained illness has impacted birds at the facility, primarily ʻakikiki. According to Senninger, a comprehensive investigation is underway, led by a team of experts in veterinary medicine, toxicology, pathology, conservation science, and wildlife husbandry. It includes an environmental assessment, toxicology testing, review of prior deaths, and a suite of diagnostics to investigate possible infectious diseases. The organizations acknowledged that the Maui Bird Conservation Center has provided necessary refuge to Hawaiian birds facing rapid decline in their native range for more than two decades.