Feral Pig Control in Hawaii: Evolution of Control Methods

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) of Hawaii manages preserves on all of the major Hawaiian Islands, effectively protecting over 36,000 acres. Through the development of partnerships, TNC has fostered and cared for over 200,000 acres of watershed lands throughout the state. Hawaii’s native forests evolved without the presence of large mammals. In Hawaii, there are only 2 native species of mammals: the Hawaiian hoary bat and the Hawaiian monk seal. The historical lack of large native mammals has left Hawaiian native forests vulnerable, unable to evolve defenses and recover from damage caused by feral pigs and other feral ungulates. Feral pig control in Hawaii is challenging because of the remoteness of the rainforest locations with diverse topography and constantly changing weather conditions. These challenges, among others, have forced managers to integrate and utilize many different methods of control in order to maintain zero-tolerance levels within TNC preserves and throughout the managed watershed areas