Threat of Axis Deer on the Big Island

[Bullwinkle]

1) eradication = the new zealand method being effective in two ways the males eliminated first. In typical herding animals the females follow the males down canyon and to their doom. It takes a few seasons - but works.

2) Federal range land - lets not overlook the fact that a lot of range land belongs to you and me - not the ranchers. Because ranchers do not own the land - tend to over use it - leaving nothing for competing species, its economics ( & like not getting shared breeding bulls tested for vd...... = poor husbandry)

I just believe that a management structure of federal lands based on free range animals grazing available for harvesting to the public trump lease rights to cattle ranchers...... and at the very least needs to be discussed as part of the equation .....cattle are not indigenous either....Pigs may be naturalized by now......

Reading that the infected bulls were sold into human meat supply enough to push this omnivore to give up all meat btw. Meat cutters (used to - dont know about the practice today) add "steer meat" to lean out the fat content in "healthy" ground beef .....

http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/hnfas/public...razing.pdf