A public hunting program was put in place and has been largely effective; the Palila has begun to recover, and the case demonstrated federal power to protect endangered species.

However, they were not fully eradicated; an increase in leisure time and greater ease of access to the mountains drove an influx of hunters who saw the remaining feral species as game animals.

[2] With conservationists demanding protection of Mauna Kea's ecosystem, plans were made to fence off 25% of the forests from foreign influence and leave the remaining 75% under the same regulations.

The National Audubon Society and Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund filed a lawsuit against the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, claiming that they were violating federal laws of conservation.

A mass of records, reports, and studies had been amassed, all pointing to the feral game animals as the main perpetrator of the species' endangerment, and all recommending their total removal from the mountainside.

[2] The district court found the state violated the ESA and ordered it to initiate steps towards the removal of feral sheep from the island within two years.