They tend to object to the killing of pigs for purposes other than their use as food. A subset of this group regards pig-hunting as a right of Native Hawaiians, with efforts to control pig populations being regarded as racist. People who are charged with protecting the endangered species and habitats threatened by pigs defend the practice. It's either the pigs or the forests, they say. While the snare traps are unpleasant, there is no alternative to their use at the present time.
Poisons can kill non-target species.
Finally, the hunting solution, involving as it does the tracking of pigs by packs of dogs that tear at the flesh of their prey, hardly addresses the concerns of those people wanting to see the pigs dispatched in humane fashion. The issue may be expected to receive some attention during the 1993 legislative session. Dwight Takamine, the new chairman of the House Water and Land Use Committee, has already indicated an interest in exploring the problem. Takamine's position seems to be aligned closely with the hunters who make up a sizable part of his Big Island constituency. He left to accept a lifetime post as a trustee of the Mark A. Robinson Trust.