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Rare Hawai‘i: It wasn’t meant to be a barnyard
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Policy and Control Outside Hawaii (Hawaii Lags)
Newspaper and Magazine Articles NEW article Dec. 5 '07
Feral Pigs and the Death of Hawaii's Native Birds
Don Chapman describes being in a Hawaiian rainforest
Edward O. Wilson on Biodiversity
Report about invasive species in Hawaii available online From The Hawaii State Legislative Reference Bureau (pdf file)
Environmental Valuation and the Hawaiian Economy takes a look at the financial and social costs of losing native Hawai`i.
USGS's Hawaii and the Pacific Islands page. Scroll down a few pages and look for Feral Pigs, followed by Feral Goats and so on.
Link to Nature out of place, Chapter 1 (pdf file)
Controlling Feral Animals (see how they do it Down Under)
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PROBLEM OVERVIEW: |
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The need for emergency reform of game
management in Hawai‘i |
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Hunter’s delight, forest scourge. The picture at right shows how pigs kill the Hawaiian forest from the ground up. Little pools of “pig-enriched” water are deadly to the native Hawaiian birds--they provide a perfect breeding ground for the mosquitoes that carry avian malaria. Another mosquito-borne disease of humans, dengue fever, is aided by the same nutrient-rich puddles. In addition, Hawai‘i’s fresh water is being contaminated with diseases such as leptospirosis, a serious threat to human health that is spread by feral pigs and rodents. |
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| The beautiful plant at right, a species of Cyanea, or haha, was once thought to be extinct. It was very exciting when healthy plants were found still surviving in a remote area. Unfortunately, in Hawai‘i, endangered species are food for introduced goats and pigs, which found the plants (above). | |
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Hawai‘i lags behind the rest of the world in planning and implementing game management and animal control to protect its land, water, native species, economy, and human health. Until residents insist on limiting game mammals to appropriate areas, these invasive species will continue to degrade our resources. |
| Above: Feeding pigs dug up these hapu‘u ferns. This shows why the forest dies "from the ground up." First the groundcover plants such as ferns and seedlings go, then the larger shrubs and trees. The puddles of water in the dug-out trunks harbor the most mosquito larvae of anyplace in the forest. This picture was taken on Maui. | |
| Feral pigs encroach on homes and crops, digging up yards, golf courses, and parks. Grazing and browsing animals destroy native forests, prevent recovery of rare and endangered species, cause erosion that damages coral reefs and homes, and pollute the watersheds with diseases. | Game mammals are a major factor in
the spread of alien plant species throughout the islands. The alien
invasion is changing the character of the islands and the island
lifestyle. Immediate, effective action is needed to reverse this
trend. |
Another look . . . before and after feral
pigs |
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It's hard to believe, but owners of domestic pigs sometimes release their animals in healthy native forests when they no longer wish to take care of them. Some hunters also introduce animals to new areas. This picture was taken in the Upper Hana rainforest, when it was pig-free. |
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When the photographer came back three years later, pigs had moved in. |
Summary |
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