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At dawn and dusk, Tantalus resident John Stephan regularly patrols outside his Round Top Drive home for wild pigs ever since the animals damaged a flower bed two weeks ago. Trail specialist Aaron Lowe says when it
comes to a wide array of ecological damage in
Tantalus, wild, voracious and soon-to-be-hunted pigs are...
By Rosemarie Bernardo
rbernardo@starbulletin.com"It's a perennial problem here," Stephan, a retired University of Hawaii history professor, said of the damage done by wild pigs.
Stephan, along with other Tantalus residents, hikers and nature organizations, say they support the state Forestry & Wildlife Division's efforts to control the wild pig population. A special hunting season will be held from April 2 to June 27 in the Makiki-Tantalus area.
Three five-member groups will be awarded hunting permits that span many trails in the Makiki-Tantalus area, excluding the Judd, Nuuanu, Manoa Falls and Aihualama trails. Those awarded permits will be allowed to hunt on Tuesdays and Thursdays from sunrise to 11 a.m. Hunters will only be allowed to use knives and dogs.
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Residents have complained to the Forestry & Wildlife Division of pigs uprooting plants and damaging their lawns. Also, hikers and nature educators have noted trail and native plant damage in the forest.Stephan said his small kalinchoe flowers, Australian ferns and a koa tree were mangled by wild pigs.
"Anything to reduce the number of pigs would help the plants up there and the erosion problem along the hillsides," said Stephan, who has lived in Tantalus for 28 years. He also noted that parts of the Puu Ohia Trail have been disturbed by wild pigs.
"It's like somebody's back there with a backhoe," he said.
Another Tantalus resident, Barbara Gerard of Forest Ridge Way, said she spent about $4,000 to build a wall around a water tank to protect it from wild pigs.
"These pigs come right up on our patio, and they come on our driveway. They're just a real nuisance," Gerard said. She added the pigs, which weigh more than 200 pounds, "tear up the ground" and frighten people.
"They should be moved to an outlying area," Gerard said.
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Nature organizations also support the state Department of Land & Natural Resources' efforts to control the wild pig population in Makiki-Tantalus to help protect native plants and trails. Taro patches near the Makiki Forest Recreational Area have been destroyed."The pigs are uprooting everything," said Pauline Kawamata, hiker and volunteer coordinator of the Hawaii Nature Center. Damage caused by wild pigs is causing erosion and depleting plants, she said.
Recently, Kawamata noticed the pigs in lower Makiki Valley, she said.
"They're doing this as a preventative measure. There's a real need for it," said Ati Jeffers-Fabro, educational director of the Hawaii Nature Center.
During the hunting season, officials of the Nature Center will be holding their educational programs near Maunalaha Trail, closer to the center, to accommodate pig hunters. Normally, the center takes about 60 second-graders a day to nearby Moleka Valley to teach them about plant life.
Aaron Lowe, Na Ala Hele trail and access program specialist, said damage caused by wild pigs in the forests has been getting worse.
Wild pigs search for food that grows in the forest, Lowe said. More rain means more food, which results in an increase in the pig population, he added.
Lowe encouraged hikers not to bring dogs near the hiking trails when the hunting season begins to avoid potential conflicts between hunting dogs and pets. Hikers are also advised to wear bright clothing.