After a tsunami in 1946 devastated the Puna Shipman property , killing half the endangered nēnē he was raising there , he built pens at Ainahou to continue raising them . After the war , it was estimated only about 30 birds existed in the wild . Herbert Shipman reintroduced two pairs to the Pohakuloa Training Area , and worked with British ornithologist Peter Scott to expand the breeding program to England , possibly saving the species from extinction . The shipman family also kept many exotic plants at the ranch , including some of the first orchids raised on the island . Herbert ( president of the Hawaii Orchid Society ) was awarded a gold medal in 1957 by the American Orchid Society for contributions to the industry
a tsunami
1946 Aleutian Islands earthquake
Ainahou Ranch