SCR92

WHEREAS, feral chickens and roosters have become a persistent nuisance, particularly in suburban and urban residential communities; and

WHEREAS, feral chickens and roosters wander into yards and gardens, digging up plants, damaging food crops, and jeopardizing native plants and resources; and

WHEREAS, feral roosters crow at all times of the day and night, which has led to numerous noise complaints by residents throughout the State; and

WHEREAS, droppings from feral chickens and roosters are unsanitary and create a health concern; and

WHEREAS, feral chickens and birds also carry diseases that threaten other animals, including native birds; and

WHEREAS, the noticeable increase in the number of feral chickens and birds also creates a road hazard for drivers who must suddenly stop or swerve to avoid them; and

WHEREAS, in addition to feral chickens and roosters, there has been a significant increase in the population of feral pigs, which are not native to Hawaii, migrating into suburban and urban residential communities, causing damage to properties, creating unsafe environments in residents' backyard lawns, public parks, golf courses, and cemeteries; bellowing, snorting, and even screaming in the night; depositing foul-smelling excrement; scavenging food in trash cans; and multiplying at a significant rate; and

WHEREAS, feral pigs are identified as one of the world's worst invasive alien species, gaining notoriety in recent decades due to their devastating impacts to agricultural crops and threats to species of conservation concern; and

WHEREAS, feral pigs are unique among other problematic invasive species in that they are omnivorous generalists that function as both large predators and herbivores; and

WHEREAS, feral pigs prey on a variety of wildlife and plant communities, disturbing nest sites and plant assemblages, hybridizing with other endangered suidae, competing with native fauna, and acting as vectors for disease transmission; and

WHEREAS, in addition to directly impacting wildlife and plant communities, feral pigs disturb ecosystem structures through their unique rooting and digging behavior, and are considered ecosystem engineers that have considerable secondary effects on organisms by physically altering their habitat characteristics; and

WHEREAS, feral pigs, however, have also played a unique role in local cultural traditions and are valued by local residents for hunting and food security; and

WHEREAS, to protect Hawaii's ecosystem, natural resources, and the health and safety of its residents, it is critical that the State work together with the counties and the affected communities, including hunters, farmers, and natural resource managers, to identify and implement collaborative solutions to control the significant increase in the population of feral chickens, roosters, and pigs; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2023, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Department of Agriculture, Department of Land and Natural Resources, Department of Health, the City and County of Honolulu, and the County of Hawaii, are requested to collaborate to establish and implement a five-year pilot program to mitigate and control the significant increase in the population of feral chickens, roosters, and pigs; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the five-year pilot program is requested to include the provision of free traps to members of the public to capture the feral animals, collection of traps containing the captured feral animals, and return of empty traps to the members of the public; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the five-year pilot program is requested to begin in the areas of Moanalua, Kalihi, Kalaeloa, and Kapolei in the City and County of Honolulu and the Puna area in the County of Hawaii; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Agriculture is requested to submit an interim report regarding the five-year pilot program to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2026, and a final report to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2028; provided that the reports are requested to include:

(1) Findings and recommendations relating to the five-year pilot program's efficacy in mitigating and controlling the significant increase in the population of feral chickens, roosters, including any proposed legislation; and

(2) Recommendation on whether the five-year pilot program should be extended or expanded into other areas of the State; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Agriculture, Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, Director of Health, Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu, and Mayor of the County of Hawaii.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Animals; Feral Chickens, Roosters, Pigs; Health; Nuisance; Mitigation and Control; Five-Year Pilot Program; Department of Agriculture; Department of Land and Natural Resources; Department of Health; City and County of Honolulu; County of Hawaii; Moanalua; Kalihi; Kalaeloa; Kapolei; Puna

THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	92
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023
STATE OF HAWAII