Packs of hunting dogs let loose to sniff out wild boar have attacked and seriously injured or killed at least three pets in Tantalus and Manoa in the four months since a controversial program to control the feral pig population started.

Critics, including some residents and lawmakers, are saying it's time to re-evaluate or even temporarily suspend the program.

But the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, which oversees the program, says there is no evidence the dogs involved in the incidents belonged to permitted hunters. Instead, the state plans to step up enforcement of illegal hunting.

The most recent attack happened May 27, when at least five hunting dogs went after a pet goat stabled at Paradise Park. The goat suffered deep bites all over its body.

A 9-year-old girl, the daughter of a caretaker who lives at Paradise Park, witnessed the incident and was dangerously close to the dogs, witnesses told police.

As her father yelled at the girl to get inside, he started beating at the dogs and hitting them with a shovel, according to the owner of the goat, Manoa resident Deborah Lynn.

Lynn said the dogs finally relented, running back into the woods.

No hunters ever showed up.

Lynn said the incident points to the need for more enforcement of hunters and monitoring of the hunting program. "This is just way too close to populated areas," she said. "Hunters need to know the areas where they're allowed to go."

The earlier hunting-dog attacks left a pet pig dead and a dog seriously injured.

State Rep. Kirk Caldwell, who represents Manoa, said he has scheduled a meeting with DLNR officials and the owners of some of the injured pets.

He said the state needs to do something to make sure the attacks stop, by either stepping up enforcement or tracking down hunters who don't follow the rules. He also said if the dogs involved in the attacks belonged to permitted hunters, the state should consider temporarily halting the program until tougher safety measures can be taken.

If the dogs belonged to poachers, he said, then enforcement officers need to do more to monitor the sites. "Either way, it's an issue we need to look at," Caldwell said.

The feral pig hunting program started in February and is expected to last for a year. Hunting is allowed on Wednesdays, Sundays and on nights with full moons from Makiki-Tantalus across Manoa Valley to Wa'ahila Ridge. Hunters can use only knives and dogs.

The program got initial support from the community, but in the months since it started, it has raised concerns among residents. Some say it is too close to residential neighborhoods, while others say it has driven pigs to other communities.

DLNR spokeswoman Deborah Ward said residents were given a host of choices, and they chose the hunting program. "We held a couple of community meetings," she said. "What we have now is the option that the community felt was the best option."

Ward said hunters are warned when they apply for permits that they need to keep their dogs under control while on a hunt. Each hunting group is allowed six dogs.

The state also has asked hikers to stay off trails with their dogs on hunt days.

So far, the hunters have killed 36 pigs since the program started. By comparison, 15 were taken during a program instituted in 2002, and 22 were taken in 2005.

Jim Harwood, vice chairman of the Manoa Neighborhood Board, said he thinks the attacks are tied to "rogue hunters" — not permitted ones. "We can't have terrible things happening up there in the woods, either to dogs or people or pets," Harwood said.

One of the earlier incidents involving hunting dogs left a pet pig dead.

The pig was kept on private, residential property on Tantalus, and was killed on a Sunday morning in April. Its owner, University of Hawai'i law professor Jon Van Dyke, had alerted the state about problems with hunting dogs in the area.

Later that month, a small dog was attacked while on a Manoa hiking trail with its owners. The dog barely survived. Caldwell said the owner of the dog has said he was not on the trail on a sanctioned hunting day, and saw no warning signs posted.

The owner did catch the license plate of the hunting dogs' owner, but the state has not yet been able to identify the hunter or determine whether he had a permit.

Reach Mary Vorsino at mvorsino@honoluluadvertiser.com.