In 1868, Hong Kong, then a British colony, gifted eight axis deer to King Kamehameha V, then ruler of the Hawaiian Islands. Axis deer were introduced to the Big Island of Hawaii in December 2009, when four deer were illegally transported from Maui. In addition, DOFAW continues to conduct aerial shoot missions to remove axis deer from remote, hard to reach areas. The agency reports that over 350 axis deer were removed by the general public and Department of Hawaiian Homelands beneficiaries between February 2024 and July 2024. DOFAW received a several millions in funding from the state Legislature for fiscal year 2025 specifically for axis deer management.