HAWAIʻI ISLAND RESERVES TO TEMPORARILY CLOSE IN APRIL FOR ANIMAL CONTROL ACTIVITIES

Feral Goats, Sheep to be Controlled on Mauna Kea April 23 and 24

News Release from DLNR, March 31, 2025

HILO, Hawaiʻi – Animal control activities will be conducted for feral goats, feral sheep, and mouflon/feral sheep hybrids within palila critical habitat in the Mauna Kea Forest Reserve (Unit A), Mauna Kea Ice Age Natural Area Reserve (Unit K), Palila Mitigation Lands, and the Kaʻohe Game Management Area (Unit G) on the island of Hawaiʻi.

Activities may include both ground-based and aerial operations.These control actions are required by the federal government in order to protect habitat for palila, a critically endangered native forest bird of which only a few hundred individuals remain.

The DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) is scheduling control for April 23-24, 2025. Public access will be restricted and allowed BY PERMIT ONLY for animal salvage purposes on the following dates:

7:00 a.m. April 23, 2025
6:00 a.m. April 24, 2025

Please refer to the link below for more detailed information about control activities, schedules, salvage permit requests, conditions and restrictions or contact DOFAW’s Hilo office at 808-974-4221.

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RESOURCES

(All images/video courtesy: DLNR) 

Legal Notice of Animal Control Activities: https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/recreation/files/2025/03/LN-Mauna-Kea-Closure-4-23-25-DGS-part-1-signed.pdf

Hunting information: http://dlnr.hawaii.gov/recreation/hunting

Hunting Announcements: https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/recreation/hunting/hunting-announcements/