HCR306 HD1.DOC

WHEREAS, feral pigs are an invasive species that cause considerable damage to the environment by consuming ground-covering plants, destroying understory vegetation, churning and wallowing in the ground, causing erosion, and creating mosquito breeding grounds; and

WHEREAS, feral pigs directly impact the survival of native forest birds and other species; and

WHEREAS, due to their aggressive nature, feral pigs are also known to attack livestock and transmit diseases to livestock, people, and pets; and

WHEREAS, these pests have migrated in increasing numbers from state land to residential areas, causing property damage and disturbances that affect the health, safety, and welfare of area residents; and

WHEREAS, in 2006, on Oahu, the Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) of the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) received 12 calls per month concerning nuisance pigs; and

WHEREAS, in 2007, in Hawaii County, the United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services, Wildlife Services Office, set up a hotline to record complaints about damages and threats from feral pigs and received over 240 calls within two months; and
WHEREAS, Senate Resolution No. 26, S.D. 1 (S.R. No. 26), was adopted by the Senate in 2005, requesting DLNR to collaborate with land conservation, hunting, and animal care organizations to review various methodologies for controlling non-native game animals in Hawaii's forest areas; and

WHEREAS, House Concurrent Resolution No. 98, S.D. 1 (H.C.R. No. 98), was adopted in 2006, requesting DLNR to prepare a plan to reduce the statewide feral pig population; and

WHEREAS, in response to H.C.R. No. 98, DLNR reported that DOFAW removed approximately 550 nuisance pigs on Oahu in fiscal year 2006, in response to landowner reports, and:

(1) Provides direct assistance to individuals affected by feral pigs by loaning traps, trapping pigs for release in game management areas, or trapping pigs for dispatch by interested hunters, where appropriate;

(2) Provides information to assist in the removal of pigs, such as by issuing a wildlife damage control permit, and contact information for individuals that will conduct removal work; and

(3) Provides information on how to obtain a hunting permit;

and

WHEREAS, despite the preparation of the technical report reviewing the methods and approaches for controlling non-native ungulates in Hawaii in response to S.R. No. 26, and recommendations to reduce the statewide feral pig population in response to H.C.R. No. 98, the feral pig population and the problems associated with it continue; and

WHEREAS, feral pig invasions continue to jeopardize the health, safety, and economic well-being of our communities; and

WHEREAS, residents faced with feral pig invasions have been forced to take the situation into their own hands by entrapping the animals and employing firearms to protect their property, which raises additional public safety concerns; and
WHEREAS, DLNR's plan to reduce the statewide feral pig population prepared in response to H.C.R. No. 98, states that appropriate solutions to problems with nuisance feral pigs are site-specific, depending on whether the land is private or government land, a public hunting area, rural, or residential or urban where public hunting and use of firearms is prohibited; and

WHEREAS, a comprehensive study on the best methods to control and reduce the feral pig population, specific to each type of site, is necessary to address this situation; and

WHEREAS, DOFAW is responsible for stewardship of forest, wildlife, and watershed resources, and is in the best position to address the concerns of these landowners who are affected by the rampaging feral pigs; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2010, the Senate concurring, that DLNR, with the cooperation and input of various government agencies and stakeholders, is requested to conduct a comprehensive study on the most effective, efficient, and humane methods for the control and reduction of the feral pig population statewide, specific to each type of site; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in gathering input, DLNR is requested to consult with:

(1) The United States Department of Agriculture;

(2) Hawaii Department of Agriculture;

(3) University of Hawaii at Manoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources;

(4) Office of Hawaiian Affairs;

(5) County agencies;

(6) Private landowners affected by the feral pig population;

(7) The Hawaiian Humane Society; and

(8) Pig hunting organizations;

and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that DLNR is requested to submit its findings and recommendations, including any necessary legislation, to the Legislature no later than 20 days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2011; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture, Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, Chairperson of the Board of Agriculture, Dean of the University of Hawaii at Manoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, mayors of each county, and Executive Director of the Hawaiian Humane Society.

Report Title:

Feral Pig Control and Reduction; Study

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	306
TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2010		H.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII