Axis Deer And Mountain Sheep Flown Between Islands To Increase Game Populations

A scheme to bolster game animals on certain Hawaiian Islands for hunters has resulted in a guilty plea on the part of a helicopter pilot involved in the operation.

The Associated Press reports that the pilot, identified by the U.S. Justice Department as Thomas Leroy Hauptman, transported four axis deer to the Big Island from Maui, and returned with several mouflon sheep in 2009. The sheep were to be released into the wild, but were instead allegedly dropped off at a hunting ranch on Maui. Neither species is native to the islands, and they have no natural predators there. Conservation officials say farmland, the dry forest, and other habitats on the islands have been negatively impacted by their introduction.

Hauptman reportedly pleaded guilty to one count of illegally transporting wildlife ... the axis deer ... a federal misdemeanor. He could potentially be sentenced to a year in prison, but his attorney asked that he be sentenced to 500 hours of community service using his aircraft to help a group working to remove the deer from the Big Island.

Jeffery Scott Grundhauser, the owner of the hunting ranch, is scheduled to appear in court Thursday, charged with one misdemeanor count of selling wildlife without a proper permit.

FMI: www.hid.uscourts.gov