Invasive deer and goats linked to forage losses on Hawaiʻi ranchlands
A study measured grazing by wild ungulates, including axis deer, mouflon sheep, goats and pigs, on Hawaiʻi rangelands. It found forage losses at two-thirds of surveyed sites, with axis deer identified as the clearest driver of decline across ranches on Hawaiʻi Island and Maui.
A study of wild ungulate grazing on Hawaiʻi rangelands found forage losses at two-thirds of the sites surveyed.
The study examined animals including axis deer, mouflon sheep, goats and pigs. Axis deer were identified as the clearest driver of decline across ranches on Hawaiʻi Island and Maui.
THE QUESTIONS THIS EVENT LEAVES BEHIND
What conditions differed between the surveyed sites that experienced forage losses and those that did not?
How do ranchers currently manage wild ungulate grazing on Hawaiʻi rangelands?
What evidence separates the effects of axis deer from those of mouflon sheep, goats and pigs?
How might continued forage losses affect ranch operations if the trend persists?
YOUR QUESTION
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GLOBAL CURIOSITY MAP · AUGUST 2026