So large, in fact, that USDA Wildlife Services officials can’t even venture a guess. USDA Wildlife Services also captured and killed 23 feral chickens while under contract with the city, but officials said the resources used were negligible when compared to the pigs. And they would probably do it for a lot less, if not free.” “I’m pretty sure if they approached me I would have my phone ringing off the hook to get into the program … I would probably get guys breaking down the door trying to take care of these problems. “I can understand if there was nobody around that would do it, but I don’t think that’s the case,” Lunasco said. He said he was “flabbergasted” by the amount of money the city spends to keep pigs out of the gardens. Lunasco is running for state representative in District 45, the Waialua-Mililani area. “Believe me there are a lot of people out in the community who are willing to do it for free.” “Damn, that’s a lot of quarters,” said Ollie Lunasco, head of the Oahu Pig Hunters Association. You could take a few more if everyone got the kamaaina discount. That breaks down to about $1,400 per pig.įor that amount, you could take 15 friends to the Polynesian Cultural Center for a luau and evening show. The city has so far spent about $305,000 on this pest control effort, and is expected to add another $52,000 to the total in the coming year. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services branch to trap, shoot and kill 233 feral pigs that root around in the gardens, dropping feces and damaging the tropical and native flora that grow there. In the last five years, the city has paid the U.S. If Mayor Peter Carlisle hosted a luau the pig might be a little pricey, especially if it came from one of Honolulu’s botanical gardens. Editor’s Note: This is an installment in our occasional series, It’s Your Money, that looks more closely at public expenses that taxpayers may not realize they’re being asked to pay.
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