Attack of the feral pigs: non-indigenous species are crowding out the natives.

In December, 1992, the adventure-loving chairperson of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), Alex Pacheco, and staffer David Barnes helicoptered into the lush Pelekunu Valley on the Hawaii island of Molokai, a largely untamed sliver of paradise 40 miles long and nine miles wide. Pacheco and Barnes planned to camp out for several weeks on its remote Pelenuku Preserve. Their purpose, however, was not to bask in the midday sun or engage in leisurely bird watching.

Through a whistleblower, PETA had learned that The Nature Conservancy (TNC) had littered the 5,714-acre Pelekunu Preserve with hundreds of lethal wire snares. The intended victims were the island's feral pigs and goats, which TNC said were ruining valuable rainforest. Before leaving, Pacheco and Barnes destroyed 700 snares and collected notes and photographic evidence that the snared animals often died of starvation, dehydration and strangulation. (TNC reportedly checked the snares once every four to six months.

After making its discovery, PETA launched a relentless and highly publicized campaign to force TNC to halt its use of snares. The ongoing controversy over TNC's snaring has focused attention on the harmful effects of certain non-indigenous species (neither pigs, goats, nor white humans are native to Hawaii), methods of animal control (snares are illegal or restricted in at least 30 states), and conservation groups like TNC, which support trapping and hunting. TNC (which has 724,000 members and lists the Gulf War's General Norman Schwarzkopf as a national board member) says other methods of animal control are ineffective. With Hawaii in the midst of an extinction crisis, TNC claims that "in exceptionally remote areas, we have no choice but to continue snaring or risk losing our watershed forests and the native plants and animals that live there."

Many of Hawaii's native insect, plant and bird species can be found nowhere else in the world. The Polynesians first introduced pigs to the islands some 1,500 years ago, and later British Captain James Cook released European pigs, sheep, and goats. Previously, the only mammals present were a species of insect-eating bat and a marine mammal, the Hawaiian seal monk.

Today, over half of Hawaii's plant and animal species are foreign. Although Hawaii represents only 0.2 percent of the land area of the United States, nearly three of every four historically documented plant and bird extinctions come from Hawaii. Of the bird species currently endangered in the United States, 40 percent are from Hawaii. Of the island's 140 bird species, half are extinct. Of the surviving 70 species, 30 are endangered.

Since its founding in 1951, TNC has distinguished itself by saving over seven and a half million acres in the United States, either by purchasing land or protecting it in cooperation with others. In Hawaii alone, TNC protects over 50,000 acres.

"The decision to use snares was not one we came to lightly," says TNC spokesperson Alan Holt. "A feral pig can rototill 100 square feet of rain forest in a single morning. The forest is a giant salad to them," he adds. With adequate forage, pigs can double their numbers in four months and, left unchecked, they can extensively damage a pristine habitat.

TNC hunted the feral animals on Molokai, and erected more than two miles of fences to control them. However, neither method proved effective, especially in remote areas, In 1989, TNC began setting snares, eventually putting 1,410 on its Molokai preserves. "We hate to see any animal suffer," says TNC's Maria Naehu.

The problem of non-indigenous animals destroying or overpopulating an ecosystem is finally gathering national recognition. At least 4,500 foreign-born plant, insect and animal species now reside in America, according to the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA), the analytical arm of Congress.

Last September, OTA published a comprehensive report, Harmful Non-Indigenous Species in the United States, which estimates that at least 15 percent of the introduced species cause "severe harm." OTA estimates that "more than 205 non-indi-genous species were first introduced or detected in the United States since 1980, and 59 of these are expected to cause economic or environmental harm." And from 1906 to 1991, "just 79 non-indigineous species caused documented losses of $97 billion in harmful effects," says OTA.

Like Hawaii's feral pigs, non-indigenous species are often intentionally introduced. Over a century ago, the starling was brought to America by a man who wanted the nation to be home to all of the birds mentioned in Shakespeare's plays. Today, hundreds of millions of starlings are present throughout the country. Unfortunately, in many areas they have displaced native birds such as the eastern bluebird and several species of woodpecker.

The zebra mussel was accidentally introduced in the U.S. in 1986 when a foreign ship discharged water ballast. Since then, the zebra mussel has spread throughout the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River, creating economic havoc. Due to its ability to reproduce quickly and attach itself to solid surfaces, the zebra mussel has clogged water pipes, shut down power and sewage plants, and run up $2.5 million in damages.

Unfortunately, America lacks a comprehensive, unified policy on the introduction and control of non-indigenous species, says OTA. It describes "the current Federal effort [as] largely a patchwork of laws, regulations, policies and programs, many only peripherally addressing non-indigenous species. One promising approach, says OTA, is presentation. New Zealand, for example, has enacted a dozen major laws and hundreds of regulations pertaining to nonindigenous species. It has extensive national standards for animal imports, and has adopted a "user pays" program to cover most of the expense of inspection, oversight, and law enforcement. New Zealand intensively inspects arriving passengers' baggage and goods; has extensive surveillance of and contingency plans for harmful species; and an admirable public education program that includes public monitoring of possible pests.

After more than a year of letter writing and campaigning against The Nature Conservancy's use of snares, PETA's efforts appear to be paying off. TNC has removed its snares from Pelekunu and is investigating more humane animal control methods, such as "fitting snares with a signaling device to minimize the time between the capture in the snare and the kill," says Holt. It has created a community hunting group, composed of land managers, hunters, and local citizens, which has conducted three hunts in remote areas of the Pelekunu Preserve "to hold feral animal numbers at their current low levels," says Holt. "We are really committed to finding better methods. We will use trapping in some areas that hunters can't reach. But we are using none at this time."

Contact: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Box 42516, Washington, DC 20015/[phone]; Office of Technology Assessment, Harmful Non-Indigenous Species in the United States, $21, from: Box 371954, Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954. The Nature Conservancy, 1815 North Lynn Street, Arlington, VA 22209/[phone].