Question: Whatever happened to the state’s investigation into the Hawaii island reality TV series called "American Jungle" on the History Channel?

Answer: "American Jungle" aired eight episodes on the History Channel from Nov. 10 through Jan. 6 despite criticism from state officials about its "inaccurate, offensive, and in some cases, potentially illegal" hunting activities.

State Department of Land and Natural Resources spokeswoman Deborah Ward said that based on a preliminary investigation, there were no fishing or hunting violations on state land.

Ward said she was still checking on whether there was any violation for hunting at night.

Apparently, no hunting was involved in capturing the pigs used in the show because, according to "American Jungle," the pigs were purchased, she said.

State Film Commissioner Donne Dawson said she’s received no indication that the History Channel has picked up the show for more episodes.

Dawson said that if "American Jungle" is picked up, the state plans to have "productive conversations" with History Channel producers.

She said officials with "American Jungle" and the History Channel have been put on notice about playing by the rules and following protocols for filming in Hawaii.

"We’ll see what happens," she said.

Dawson said the same producer of "American Jungle" is planning a different production on Hawaii island called "The Ark" and the TV series would be aired on the National Geographic Channel.

Paul Lima, director of development for "American Jungle," would not comment.

Tjaye Forsythe, the Hawaii island resident who sold the initial proposal for the "America Jungle" series, said his idea was to feature various subcultures and families living off the land in different landscapes.

Forsythe called state officials "bullies." He said, "Whatever they alleged were just allegations."

In a news release, the state said "American Jungle" officials did not have permits to conduct activities on state land and that state law prohibits night hunting.

Officials said that although the filming may have occurred on private land, the maps depicted in the show clearly display areas that are under state jurisdiction and inaccurately portray restrictive access of Hawaii public lands.

DLNR Director William Aila said the state denied a film permit request by "American Jungle" because it failed to provide sufficient details to indicate the show’s content and raised worries about possible illegal activities that might be depicted in the series.

In addition, officials criticized the "cultural insensitivity" of the series showing spear-carrying Native Hawaiians hunting pigs in the forest, when there was no historical account of such an activity.

Gov. Neil Abercrombie said "American Jungle" appeared to be a "fictional ‘reality’ production."

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This update was written by Gary T. Kubota. Suggest a topic for “Whatever Happened To…” by writing Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-210, Honolulu 96813; call 529-4747; or email cityeditors@staradvertiser.com.