Pigs first arrived Hawaii via the Polynesian discoverers about 1200 years ago. Tradition states that the Polynesian pig was relatively small (50-60 lbs). Beginning in 1776 with the arrival of Europeans, a larger more robust pig was introduced. The pigs which roam the islands today are hybrids of these two animals. By some estimates Kaua`i has more than 55,000 of them. They are destructive animals, rooting up golf courses and residential yards island wide. In the native forest they feed in the understory and dig up roots of native plants. They create wallows in which mosquitoes can breed and they spread the seeds of strawberry guava, an invasive plant. Pig hunters are currently the only method of control.
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