A surprise this morning as a car passed us on the road and then nearly hit a deer hell bent for leather crossing the road. We then saw at least 8 more in a short period of time barreling across the road. Fast little buggers.
A check in with our personal hunting expert (Oh Jim wherefore art thou?) and we learn these are axis deer. And that is where the trail starts. Introduced to Hawaii as a gift from India to King Kamehameha V in 1868, These deer were released to Moloka’i then also to Oahu, Lana’i and then Maui. Lacking natural predators, these deer now present a significant threat to the agriculture and ecology of the islands. As of August 2025, Maui has an estimated population of 26,330, Moloka’i 18,629 and another 2,682 on Lana’i. This is actually a good thing as the 2022 estimate was around 60,000 so it seems like the efforts to manage these deer is having an effect.
Yet another example of what may have seemed like a good idea at the time, but invasive species never seem to be. Karen thought maybe the introduction of tigers could help drive the population down even further. What could possibly go wrong?
In speaking to one of the locals in town today, we learned that they travel in herds, and are easily found at dusk. So I set off toward the beach today after dinner, and lo!! A herd was easily found. Their calls sound like a dog.
More on the beach in another post…
Comments
Post a Comment