Article: Mystery deer growth pitting hunters against Hawaii

I think this ones going national...

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Mystery deer growth pitting hunters against Hawaii

By AUDREY McAVOY, Associated Press – 6 hours ago

HONOLULU (AP) — Deer can swim, but not very far. When they showed up for the first time on the Big Island of Hawaii, mystified residents wondered how they got there.

The island is some 30 miles southeast of Maui, where deer are plentiful.

Hawaii wildlife authorities think someone dropped a few from a helicopter on the northern tip of the island. And tracks along the southern coast indicate deer were pushed into the ocean from a boat and forced to paddle ashore.

Whether they arrived by air or sea, wildlife managers want to eradicate them to avoid a repeat of the destruction seen on other islands where they ate through vineyards, avocado farms and forests where endangered species live.

Officials estimate that there are 100 deer on the northern and southern ends of the Big Island. A government-funded group is leading efforts to get rid of them before they breed.

"They didn't get here by themselves, so the people who brought them over did so and have done it many times," said Jan Schipper, the group's project manager.

People have reported seeing deer on the Big Island for a while, but it wasn't until a motion-sensor camera captured a photo of one last year that their presence was confirmed.

Axis deer, called chital in their native India, are similar in size to whitetail deer found in the continental U.S. Tigers and leopards keep axis deer numbers reasonable in India, but the deer population is growing 20 percent to 30 percent per year in Hawaii because there aren't any natural predators — except for humans.

The deer first came to Hawaii in the 1860s as a gift from Hong Kong to the monarch who ruled at the time, King Kamehameha V. They were first taken to Molokai Island.

In the 1950s, some deer were taken to Maui as part of post-World War II efforts to introduce mammals to different places and increase hunting opportunities for veterans, said Steven Hess, wildlife biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey. Biologists believed they could improve the environment by introducing species that didn't naturally exist, he said.

The experiment has had devastating, unforeseen consequences in Hawaii, where plants and animals evolved in isolation over millions of years and lack natural defenses against introduced species.

In Maui, deer have caused $1 million in damage during the past two years for farmers, ranchers and resorts, according to a county survey. They spent half that amount during the same time trying to eradicate the animals. On Lanai, deer that eat everything from Hawaii's native ebony tree, the lama, to a native olive tree and a now-extinct mint helped turn a rich native forest into a desert-like landscape so desolate people compare it to the moon.

Big Island hunters like Tony Sylvester welcome the axis deer as a new source of meat.

There are no native land mammals in Hawaii except for a bat. Big Island hunters, who hunt to supplement their diet, say the deer should stay because the gift to the former king was for all of Hawaii.

Sylvester suspects other hunters brought the deer from nearby islands to retaliate against government agencies and conservationists for converting vast tracts of hunting ground to forest restoration. He said he understands the concern for the environment and the need to protect the forest, but he said the deer can coexist if managed properly.

"Before you know it, everywhere is a pristine area and it's more and it's more and it's more," he said. "And our culture is slowly getting pushed away and pushed out."

Officials have fenced off forests and killed sheep, goats and pigs inside the area to help save a multitude of species inside, such as the slow-growing mamane tree and the palila songbirds that eat its seeds.

The Pele Defense Fund, a group that led a successful legal fight in the 1990s to win Native Hawaiians access to private land for hunting, is now rallying hunters together for a class action lawsuit against the state to stop its efforts to eradicate game animals and fence off land.

"They go in and kill all the pigs and everything else. Then you eliminated the hunter," said Palikapu Dedman, the fund's president. "I think the hunter has been ignored and it's the state's responsibility to look out for them, too."

Jimmy Gomes, operations manager at Ulupalakua Ranch spanning 18,000 acres on the slopes of Haleakala volcano in Maui, said deer have been jumping over rock walls and through wire fences to eat ranch grass set aside for cattle. Gomes said he's seen a thousand at a time, and has had to wait several minutes for a herd of deer to pass before he can ride through them on horseback.

"Sometimes you're driving cattle, you're moving cattle across, and all of the sudden you see this — like the mountains moving — this deer coming down," he said.

Gun club members and ranch employees have killed more than 1,000 deer on the ranch this year, but Gomes said it hasn't made a dent in their numbers.

Sam Ohu Gon III, senior scientist and cultural adviser at the Nature Conservancy of Hawaii, said the deer could threaten Big Island plants that are important for the environment and Hawaiian culture. Among those are the uhiuhi tree, which has a hard wood ancient Hawaiians favored for making weapons and tools, and the ohelo berry, which is used to make jam and is sacred to Pele, the goddess of volcanoes.

The threat to the Big Island's native ecosystems is particularly serious as half the island still has native vegetation — a high ratio compared with other Hawaiian islands.

"It cannot be a free-for-all of hunting everywhere you want and the hell with everything else. Because what would that result in? That just spirals us down into less and less of what makes Hawaii unique," Gon said.

Copyright © 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Here are some of the grounds we are taking to court to stop DLNR (NARS) and Hawaiian homes land from fencing and eradicating our natural game animals, pigs, goats, sheep , deer n wild cattle . These animals that conservationist call invasive to Hawaii are sadly mistaken . Each n every one of those animals where brought n given to the Hawaiians kings for a walking food substance for there people to be self sustainable. Pig is sacred to Hawaiians n brought here by Hawaiians,not long ago mortality was high for infants so baby Luau expressed joy for the child to reach one yr.n a black pig would be used , also hula has the black pig in there dance n chant ,fire goddess Pele , Kamapua'a the Hawaiian pig god. Argument in the family (haka'a ) was settled using the black pig . Deer was given to the king of Molokai king Kamehameha 5 in 1860's. Goats sheep n cattle given to the king as walking food substance 1700's hundred . Now it's invasive . It's only invasive to the people who want to steal our home ( HAWAII PERIOD) law suit we going for is going to stop them . Cannot express how important this action is to us n our future Keiki's for generations to come. Please support n get involved. We are the people of now letting happen these wrong things that'd was once sacred in our cultural , lifestyle, n tradition n religious beliefs passed down to be protected BY US TO TEACH N PASS DOWN FOR OUR KEIKI'S . If you want info call me or donate to PELE DEFENSE FUND. PDF HUNTERS LITIGATION ACCOUNT ONLY USED FOR HUNTERS N GATHERS . Joe Griffiths 808-687-0966 thank u


hunters6262
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Cattle, goats, pigs, sheep and axis deer have a long history of being hunted, harvested, and exterminated from ranches and forests. Sometimes pest, sometimes valued resources. DID YOU KNOW: Oahu used to have axis deer and they were eventually hunted out (twice in fact). Mouflon were introduced to Kauai about the time black tailed deer were, but they died out while blacktail fared better. And we all know about pronghorn on Molokai... The following are exerpts from A Historical Analysis of Hunting in Hawaii by Duffy.

Page 15- Concerning feral animals for profit: ...During the latter half of the nineteenth century, a variety of animals were introduced to the Islands (Table 2.2). A few mammals were brought to the islands as gifts to the Hawaiian Royalty, but only one species was established in the islands for hunting. In 1867 the Hawaiian consul in Japan presented 8 axis deer (Axis axis) to King Kamehameha V in Honolulu (Tinker 1941, Kramer 1971, Cuddihy and Stone 1990). The deer were released on Moloka‗i the following year where they increased to nearly 7,000 individuals within 30 years (Tinker 1941, Kramer 1971). A small herd had been introduced to Diamond Head Crater on O‗ahu sometime before 1898, though they were completely wiped out by hunters soon thereafter (Kramer 1971). Years later, another small herd of axis deer on O‗ahu originated from 3 escaped captive deer in Moanalua Valley (Kramer 1971, Tomich 1986)...

Page 22 concerning feral animals targetted for eradication: ...Unlike the other feral mammals, axis deer were pursued not only for eradication, but for propagation as well. In 1901, deer had become so numerous on Moloka‗i that contract hunters from California were hired to reduce the herd by over 3,000 animals due to their impact on the native forests (Tinker 1941, Tomich 1986). Notwithstanding, 12 axis deer from Moloka‗i were introduced on Lāna‗i by naturalist George Munro 20 years later (Kramer 1971, Tomich 1986, Cuddihy and Stone 1990, Waring 1996). As with the Moloka‗i herd, the Lāna‗i herd increased with such rapidity that Munro himself led the earliest eradication efforts (Munro 2007). Eventually they began to invade the pineapple fields and damage crops (Tinker 1941). Attempts were made to exterminate deer again in the 1930s, but the efforts were eventually discontinued when numbers reached an acceptable level, though the population grew out of control again soon thereafter (Tinker 1941, Kramer 1971). Despite the unwanted effects of the Moloka‗i and Lāna‗i introductions, a small herd of axis deer was unsuccessfully introduced on Maui in 1931 (Walker 1978, Tomich 1986). Axis deer were not targeted with the same zeal as other feral mammals under the wild animal eradication program because they were considered more valuable to the upper class hunters as a trophy species. This trophy aspect may explain why the deer population on O‗ahu (where the human population was greatest) was successfully controlled and eventually wiped out by hunters (Kramer 1971). Hence, in later years, the axis deer was referred to as the ―first true game mammal‖ ever introduced in the islands (Walker 1967b)...

Some more axis deer history from page 40 onwards...

...Not surprisingly, a great deal of attention was directed at axis deer during the 1950s. A hunting season was established for axis deer on Moloka‗i and Lāna‗i in 1954 (Walker 1978, Tomich 1986). In 1956 axis deer life history and management studies were begun, with long-term research (according to contemporaneous standards) occurring on both Moloka‗i and Lāna‗i for up to 3 years (Tomich 1986). In 1959, 5 axis deer were released on Maui with the assurance that ―the deer would not penetrate native forests, fed largely on introduced plants, were free of dangerous parasites and disease, and that their populations would be controlled by hunting‖ (Tomich 1986). These 5 deer did not immediately increase and further introductions were suggested (Tomich 1986, Waring 1996). Meanwhile, the herd of axis deer on O‗ahu had been kept at low numbers by hunters since their escape from captivity in the early 1900s and by 1962 there were an estimated 25 axis deer remaining on the island (Kramer 1971, Tomich 1986), despite the fact that hunting axis deer on O‗ahu was illegal at the time (Riney 1959). Two additional deer were released on O‗ahu‘s Mokapu peninsula in the mid-1950s, but they were not seen again after several months (Kramer 1971). By 1970 there were no more axis deer left on O‗ahu (Kramer 1971).
Perhaps the most controversial game management issue during the post-war period concerned the introduction of axis deer on the island of Hawai‗i. When the DLNR proposed their release on the island in 1950, local farmers, ranchers, and botanists opposed the initiative and the issue was temporarily dropped. In 1963 the proposal resurfaced, this time as a bill introduced to the Hawai‗i Legislature that requested the appropriation of funds for capture and transport of deer from Lāna‗i to Hawai‗i (Tomich 1986). When the bill was approved, a tidal wave of opposition flooded the newspapers. Backed by the Hawai‗i Cattlemen‘s Association, W.H. Greenwell, owner of the 80,000 acre Kealakekua Ranch on Hawai‗i Island, filed suit against the DLNR to halt the plan on the basis that the deer would destroy land intended for cattle and crops and spread disease among livestock (Anon. 1964;1968). Greenwell voiced his support for hunting, though he felt that ―the State should think about axis deer a while longer‖; instead, he was in support of ―a game animal with fewer problems …such as the eland antelope[Taurotragus oryx]‖ (Anon. 1964). In 1964 a temporary restraining order was issued against the introduction of deer and several months later it was elevated to a permanent injunction (Anon. 1968). The State appealed the ruling to the Supreme Court and in 1968 the injunction was overturned on the grounds that ―it is not an abuse of the State‘s police powers to release the deer since studies indicate that it will promote the State‘s interests in hunting, recreation and economic development of the Big Island‖ (Anon. 1968). The following year, 7 deer were placed in a temporary holding pen on Lāna‗i to await transport to Hawai‗i. Continued opposition from ranchers, scientists and the ―growing environmental movement‖ convinced the Governor to delay the shipment (Tomich 1986). The issue was finally dropped after wild dogs broke into the holding pen on Lāna‗i and killed or scattered the waiting deer (Tomich 1986).

Keep the deer off the Big Island....

fck dat bring more deer keep people dat don't want off da big island.

koa96727 wrote:fck dat bring more deer keep people dat don't want off da big island.

And whats the reason?

Better yet...bring them to oahu...

deer taste great and it's could feed manny family's.

Well said Griff's!!!

koa96727 wrote:deer taste great and it's could feed manny family's.

so does smoke donkey

and Mannys family will have to wait a few months, probably years before they get to eat venison from BI.

raja. donkey is great also they should open a season 4 dem also as 4 the deer it will be well worth da wait if I seen a deer 2 maro I would not try 2 kill it nor tell ne 1 because dats 1 more 2 reproduce n make more

Braddah s they coming at all islands and want it all YOUR ISLANDS n not going to stop until WE HAWAII STOP THEM. Remember conservationists, tree huggers , bird watchers , lobbyist for private interest groups for private gain don't care about our culture our lifestyle our religious beliefs or anything to do with traditional Hawaiian values or ways . They are here to cheat , rob , and take all they can . And when they Pau eradicating us our future keiki s won't know better or ever taste what was given to them to protect n pass down to there keikis n so on. If it wasn't so then why every island catching cracks n losing everything n every time we turn around another 61,600 acres got to be fenced and eradicated. They coming hard .

Not sure why u wouldn't want deer on the big island ?Anybody n everybody entitled to your there own opinion n to be standed to be corrected.
Just like all game it has to be managed . We never had a game management plan in the state of Hawaii , but the days of old did . They knew how to manage there resources . Today with the Technology we have deer wouldn't be a problem . Cannot blame deer on the big island like what is happening in Maui . No management plan . DLNR dropped the ball again , they knows there is federal funds available to farmers to pay for game fence you never hear them speak of it or do they do any co op plans with farmers n ranches . They want full
Jurisdiction n control to help maui farmers n ranchers. Big problem ranchers n land owners have is when DLNR comes in, the unknow is what keeps them from co op with DLNR . They see something rare or a protective bird next thing u know you have a law suit filed n they taking your land . Heard of the endangerment species act very powerful . That the bs they using to get our lands for federal funding . No game management plan = they can bs all they want to say animals are too much n causing a harm = take the land n fence it . Only thing they cannot get around is those state n federal laws that are put in place to protect those of Hawaiian decent . That's why they using Sam bonehead Gon as there native cultural expert . All he is is a sell out that Palikapu is going to eat up in court . Joe

It's easy to say that you want deer on Hawaii if you're not a farmer or rancher who's barely getting by as it is.

For those saying that the deer were a gift to the King, that's right but they should have been left on Molokai and not illegally taken to the Big Island by some one who didn't know better.

by muggs on Thu May 24, 2012 5:24 pm

It's easy to say that you want deer on Hawaii if you're not a farmer or rancher who's barely getting by as it is.

For those saying that the deer were a gift to the King, that's right but they should have been left on Molokai and not illegally taken to the Big Island by some one who didn't know better.


So what about the many families barely getting by without feeding their families with the game that they catch???? Should we just be concerned about you making money on your farms and ranches to take away their way of putting food on the table???? Everybody gotta survive! You need your ranches and farms to survive and some of us need to hunt to survive. So whats the solution? There's always two sides to every story. Not trying to sound cocky but like I said, everybody will do what they need to do to survive.

shrek wrote:by muggs on Thu May 24, 2012 5:24 pm

It's easy to say that you want deer on Hawaii if you're not a farmer or rancher who's barely getting by as it is.

For those saying that the deer were a gift to the King, that's right but they should have been left on Molokai and not illegally taken to the Big Island by some one who didn't know better.


So what about the many families barely getting by without feeding their families with the game that they catch???? Should we just be concerned about you making money on your farms and ranches to take away their way of putting food on the table???? Everybody gotta survive! You need your ranches and farms to survive and some of us need to hunt to survive. So whats the solution? There's always two sides to every story. Not trying to sound cocky but like I said, everybody will do what they need to do to survive.

you know what, they do. there's a shitload of places to hunt and people still like poach...hard to use this argument when cows and pigs go missing from farms. Farms and ranchers grow and raise the food they put on the table and that is also their income. Say you work construction, you hunt and you buy groceries because you can afford it. The farmers/ranchers lose money with damaged and stolen crops/livestock...it makes them harder to feed their families! If you really need to survive and can plan ahead, then you should be able to grow/raise your own food.
you're saying you need to hunt to survive..whats wrong with the pig, sheep, cattle, goat and donkeys already available? you want venison..bringing it to the BI makes it easier for yourself to harvest it. Guess what....the state is still going to make it hard to hunt. Fuck, most of the land on the Big Island is private and where the deer are are far off(except for the pic released...thats right off a road). You think its gonna be easier hunting..we wish..but thats also why they're fighting to keep lands open to hunt.
it pisses me off to see people on government assistance and im glad we were raised to hunt and fish to survive..however, I dont think our food supply will deminish to the point there is nothing to hunt and eat. The opportunity to hunt will still be there...it may be harder, but that is what it is...you cant go every time and get.
idk..just my thoughts.

hunters6262 wrote:Remember conservationists, tree huggers , bird watchers , lobbyist for private interest groups for private gain don't care about our culture our lifestyle our religious beliefs or anything to do with traditional Hawaiian values or ways . They are here to cheat , rob , and take all they can .

Hmm...im a hunter but im also a conservationist and bird watcher. Ive helped with reforestation, yet im still itching to hunt. Many DLNR/DOFAW do hunt and were born and raised in Hawaii.

And when they Pau eradicating us our future keiki s won't know better or ever taste what was given to them to protect n pass down to there keikis n so on. If it wasn't so then why every island catching cracks n losing everything n every time we turn around another 61,600 acres got to be fenced and eradicated. They coming hard .

Eradication has never worked in Hawaii. Within the last 60 years there have been many attempts to eradicate wild cattle, sheep, and goats. I think it was Parker Ranch..they herded up all the wild goats in the 50s and sent em into the ocean..thousands of em. They had aerial hunting in the 70s and couldnt eliminate the wild sheep and goats.Mauna Kea, Kapapala, Manuka have been open for YEARS and their is still game in there.


Heres some thought...if we we really cared about the food from these animals...why arent we supporting relocation of ferals to game management areas? PTA helped by pushing out "most" when they did the fence along Puuanahulu. Volcano National Park could relocate all those beeg boys.

State n DLNR drop the ball by not letting ranchers n farmers know of federal money available for game fence. But they can go n get huge amount of money to land grab n fence n eradicate . Don't see a problem with that ? On deer brought here illegally . 1 state is only the Stewart of the land not the owner. Fed gov is the trustee to the Hawaiian kingdom.2 if your family lives on a island in Hawaii that has axis deer how is it they cannot send you axis deer as a walking food source to hunt , farm , raise for your food . 3 there is no law saying axis deer cannot be given to people of Hawaiian descent to be used as a walking food source . 4 now they are trying to pass a law. 4 state n Feds n DLNR is not doing there judiciary responsibility . State n federal laws are put in place to protect cultural, traditional n religious beliefs of the Hawaiian people. These animals are tied into the land n cultural traditional n religious beliefs of Hawaiian people . They fail us by not having a game management plan n by taking lands to fence n eradicate our animals, the are to MAKE SURE YOUR RIGHTS ARE NOT VIOLATED N YOUR PRATICE CONTINUES . Go back to what laws are in place for and hold them responsible to protect it don't give it away. We owe it to our future to be so they have it .
Joe

You say you are a conservationist? Do you practice or do you advocate ? Reason i ask is i am trying to understand what you mean on being a conservationist. Is it your paying job as a conservationist. No offense . I am sure we have alot of people born in Hawaii working here as DLNR and conservationist that hunt . But people in office n work in state n federal gov agencies that hold there hand up to uphold the Constitution are held to up hold the law they pledge to up hold , whether you're a conservationist or DLNR employee you are bound to uphold the law .
Joe

I know that times are hard for a lot of people and hunting helps put food on the table and I'm all for that if it's done legally. The people that brought deer to the Big Island did it for themselves and no other reason, period. What happens when someone hits one with a car and dies? What about that family? What about the damage to the native plants? Did they give a damn about that? They just wanted the deer there for them and the hell with everyone else. That's a pretty screwed up way of living.

I have yet to see any Rancher "Barely making it" while they sit on acres of more profit producing oppurtunities which is why they no open the gate to hunters and cry when their fence gets jumped! I dunno where you huntin SaltyMuffinMan but whenever you ready to show me where I can legally drop my dogs in Kona besides Kaloko with the chihuahua walkers I'm gonna have to disagree with your statement of "Get choke places for hunt"! The whole Big Island besides the Hilo side is being land locked by gated communities and private roads below and surrounding the legal hunting areas! I grew up following my uncles and jumpin fences with my friends! Nowadays I no jump fences and my uncles no like run with me, My dogs are too good to be lost doing dumb stuff so I gotta find new legal places for run! First option ask fellow hunters, HAHAHAHAHA! That's 1 joke so far, I can't find any that will even show me where to park so I can just cruise um! 2nd option Bust out a map and figure out myself, This is how I know who's fence should have a gate for public access but no more! 3rd Call up the landowners and ask permission, Not happening! They get friends and family who already in there and about 1000 other excuses why no can but yet crying they "barely making it"!

Pig, goat, sheep, birds, Deer in the lavas, in the thicks No matter I just like run my dogs! Whichever group that is supporting me and opening up land and giving me access has my support!

Crying over spilled milk cannot help. N I say that'd with no disrespect. Can we be responsible? Our state (DLNR)has not been and no intentions of ever being , unless we hold them accountable . The law suit you folks see with PELE DEFENSE FUND is going after state (DLNR) NARS program n Hawaiian home lands . We need game management ,animals controlled ,areas to be restocked. Also need the area that have been taken to go back in those areas n look at those areas that only need to be fenced n restock animals back in there. With the game management plan it has to have a Carring capacity for animals.
Joe

SaltyMuffinMaker wrote:

shrek wrote:by muggs on Thu May 24, 2012 5:24 pm

It's easy to say that you want deer on Hawaii if you're not a farmer or rancher who's barely getting by as it is.

For those saying that the deer were a gift to the King, that's right but they should have been left on Molokai and not illegally taken to the Big Island by some one who didn't know better.


So what about the many families barely getting by without feeding their families with the game that they catch???? Should we just be concerned about you making money on your farms and ranches to take away their way of putting food on the table???? Everybody gotta survive! You need your ranches and farms to survive and some of us need to hunt to survive. So whats the solution? There's always two sides to every story. Not trying to sound cocky but like I said, everybody will do what they need to do to survive.

you know what, they do. there's a shitload of places to hunt and people still like poach...hard to use this argument when cows and pigs go missing from farms. Farms and ranchers grow and raise the food they put on the table and that is also their income. Say you work construction, you hunt and you buy groceries because you can afford it. The farmers/ranchers lose money with damaged and stolen crops/livestock...it makes them harder to feed their families! If you really need to survive and can plan ahead, then you should be able to grow/raise your own food.
you're saying you need to hunt to survive..whats wrong with the pig, sheep, cattle, goat and donkeys already available? you want venison..bringing it to the BI makes it easier for yourself to harvest it. Guess what....the state is still going to make it hard to hunt. Fuck, most of the land on the Big Island is private and where the deer are are far off(except for the pic released...thats right off a road). You think its gonna be easier hunting..we wish..but thats also why they're fighting to keep lands open to hunt.
it pisses me off to see people on government assistance and im glad we were raised to hunt and fish to survive..however, I dont think our food supply will deminish to the point there is nothing to hunt and eat. The opportunity to hunt will still be there...it may be harder, but that is what it is...you cant go every time and get.
idk..just my thoughts.

First of all, poaching is not hunting. People who illegally go on private land and kill someones ranch animal/pet are not hunters....period. Secondly, tell me where my friend, can you raise your own food, other than vegetables, unless you are fortunate enough to have some type of farm land, agricultural land or just acreage to run a farm/ranch? I live on a one acre ag land and still cannot raise one pig to feed my family. Then you have neighbors complaining about the noise or smell from your animals. I guess what i'm trying to say is, you cannot raise or grow your own food, unless you have the resources to do it. Third, I don't hunt to survive. I hunt for the sport and the love of the sport. I have a great job that puts food on the table for my family! But it is unfortunate that some people out there depend on our game on the islands to put food on the table. I know what you mean about people on government assistance when your standing behind someone at the supermarket and they have pupus, meat, milk, cheese AND alcohol AND cigarettes loaded at the check out register and they pull out one ebt card. Those guys eat better than me most times. But there are still people that really need the help. Lastly, please be humble, you don't see me swearing on this thread. I not here to make trouble. Just my 2 cents/humble opinion.

muggs wrote:It's easy to say that you want deer on Hawaii if you're not a farmer or rancher who's barely getting by as it is.

For those saying that the deer were a gift to the King, that's right but they should have been left on Molokai and not illegally taken to the Big Island by some one who didn't know better.

Sup Muggs,

Just wanted to point out that its not illegal to transport animals to different islands or on the same island. They are trying to pass this though so it could change.

Aloha,

Bradda Muns