Transporting wild or feral deer between islands is a pen stroke away from being banned.
Transporting wild or feral deer between islands is a pen stroke away from being banned.
The state House and Senate on Tuesday unanimously approved a bill that would make inter-island relocation of non-domesticated deer within the state illegal.
It will have to be signed by Gov. Neil Abercrombie to become law.
The legislation was introduced to stop the spread of axis deer, considered an invasive species.
The deer were first reported on the Big Island last May.
One has been killed in an effort by the Big Island Invasive Species Committee to remove them.
Minimal fines would range between $100 and $25,000, depending on the level of the offense.
The legislation is Senate Bill 3001.