RareHawaii

PROBLEM OVERVIEW:
Hawai‘i cannot afford the financial or ecological costs of a game program that protects harmful invasive species
	"Hunter’s delight, forest scourge." Pigs dig up hiking trails, forcing hikers on narrow trails to walk through puddles reeking of pig waste. 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. Pools of “pig-enriched” water (particularly in pig-hollowed hapu'u trunks) are deadly to native Hawaiian forest birds. Such puddles 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.


More than 50% of Hawaii's native flora is "at risk (extinct, endangered, vulnerable, or rare)." Much of this is due to game mammals. 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).
	The rare Ka'u silversword at left (original image by Gerry Carr is here ) was browsed by mouflon sheep, a game animal cross-bred with feral sheep and released on the island of Hawai'i in the 1960s. Their numbers and range have exploded since that time.

	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 effective game mammal control, these invasive species will continue to destroy our natural capital and future opportunities.
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, and invasive weeds exploit the openings. Larger native shrubs and trees are crowded out and subjected to bark stripping by sheep and deer. The puddles of water in dug-out hapu'u 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. All unfenced crops are at risk. Mac nut orchards may lose 40% or more of the crop to pigs, because the nuts are harvested from the ground. Homeowners near natural areas are afraid to go outside at times because of feral pigs in their yards. 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 disease. 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
	It's hard to believe, but owners of domestic pigs sometimes release their animals in healthy native forests. Some hunters also introduce animals to new areas. This picture was taken in the Upper Hana rainforest, when it was pig-free.
	When the photographer came back three years later, pigs had moved in.
Summary
Hawai‘i’s island ecosystems evolved without the presence of hoofed mammals. The grazing, trampling, and rooting of these introduced animals is destroying the last populations of many rare species and permanently altering the unique character of irreplaceable ecosystems. Feral pigs and goats are counted among the world's worst invasive species. Hawai‘i is fighting an expensive and difficult war against invasive plants and animals, but there has been no strategy to truly control pigs or goats since bag limits were imposed in the 1950s. Taxpayers foot the bill for game mammal damage and for the State game program, which is used by just one half of one percent of residents. Taxpayers also pay for enforcement staff who must cite people for "poaching" invasive animals. Introduced game animals spread invasive weeds by opening up the forest floor and carrying weed seeds into new areas, on their feet and in their stomachs. These new populations of fruit-bearing weeds such as strawberry guava increase the carrying capacity for rats and pigs, further endangering native birds and plants. Countries such as Australia and New Zealand have laid the groundwork in research, planning and management of introduced hoofed animals. Mainland states where feral pigs are spreading rapidly are taking action to reverse the trend. Hawai‘i lags behind, but could make rapid progress by following these other models. The longer we wait to implement a serious, effective control program, the greater the costs. Extinction and forest modification are happening now. DOFAW will not be performing its stated mission to protect native ecosystems and watersheds until it implements true game management and control. Although the agency deserves credit for a number of important fencing projects, attempting to fence ubiquitous game animals out is a stopgap solution that does nothing for most areas, including agricultural concerns or residents facing encroaching animals. Most of Hawai‘i's State-managed natural areas continue to decline, used as feeding grounds for pigs, goats, deer, wild cattle, and sheep. Meaningful restoration of native forests and rare species is not possible under these conditions. A clear State policy that declares the invasive pest status of all introduced hoofed animals is urgently needed. Also long overdue is an adaptive management strategy to begin to reduce the number and range of such animals until they are either eradicated or securely fenced into an affordable, manageable amount of area, with a zero-tolerance policy for unfenced animals.




Rare Hawai‘i: It wasn’t meant to be a barnyard Millions of years of evolution in isolation. Thousands of plant and animal species found nowhere else in the world. Introduced pigs, goats, deer and sheep roaming freely over public lands. More than 265 extinctions and counting. (Note: If the format of this page looks strange, try another browser, like Firefox.)