New rule means $25,000 fine for introducing wildlife

KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii (AP) - People introducing wildlife to the islands can be fined up to $25,000 under a new law that went into effect more than two months ago.

West Hawaii Today reports (https://bit.ly/1E7uwZ6) the state’s land management officials drafted the law in response to axis deer that were put on the Big Island in 2009 by a local hunter and a Maui pilot.

The law gives Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources the more authority to eradicate harmful species.

Any property used to violate the law can be confiscated under the new rules as well.

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Information from: West Hawaii Today, https://www.westhawaiitoday.com