Costs of Invasive Hoofed Animals

THE HIGH COST OF HAVING NO LARGE ANIMAL CONTROL STRATEGY Free-roaming hoofed animals impose enormous costs on present and future residents. Right now, fences must be built at a cost of $50,000 to $125,000 per mile and maintained forever, for everything needing protection from free-roaming hoofed animals: farms and orchards, native forests, endangered species, golf courses, parks, residences. With no coherent State policy or strategic plan to cope with large animal overpopulations, the costs of animal damage and ad hoc control will be endless and limitless. Right now taxpayers foot the bill to enforce anti-poaching laws that protect nuisance animals. We also pay for a game program that apparently pleases no one, including hunters.
Type of animal damage	Related existing, future, and potential losses and expenditures by government and private sectors
Damage island watersheds, contaminate water and soil with disease-causing organisms; uncontrolled disease reservoir for humans and livestock; aid and abet spread of disease-carrying mosquitoes	Reduced ability of forests to filter out contaminants in the fresh water supply; less (and dirtier) fresh water available; cost of fencing crops and stream areas; testing water, soil, and animals; medical bills; higher insurance premiums; potential loss of tourism; lawsuits; potential for massive human disease outbreak; loss of native bird fauna to mosquito-borne disease
Increased flooding and erosion as vegetation is destroyed: mudslides, rockfalls and reef siltation	Lost tourism as reef quality declines; need to net slopes to contain rocks; repairs from mudslides and falling rocks; costs of replanting; higher insurance premiums; potential lawsuits
Damage private property, crops, and recreational areas, threaten people around homes	Repairs to golf courses, parks, fences, crops, forestry plantings; potential injuries and lawsuits
Spread other invasive species such as strawberry guava and aggressive grasses	Millions of dollars already spent annually on invasive species control and costs are rising
Destroy native species and their habitat; prevent the recovery of rare and endangered species	Loss of cultural and social assets; loss of tourism and future economic opportunities; loss of uniqueness of Hawai‘i at a time when people have many travel options
Damage forests and streams, impairing the function of watersheds	Less water available at higher cost for agriculture, residents, commercial use
Cause vehicle collisions on the roads	Higher insurance premiums; vehicle repairs; medical bills; cost of fencing roads; potential lawsuits



Rare Hawai‘i: Lagging Behind the Rest of the World in Pest Animal Policy, Islands Continue to Lose Quality of Life, Land, and Water (Note: If the format of this page looks strange, try another browser, like Firefox.)