MAUNA KEA – The Mauna Kea protectors have issued a statement following news that a “bullet hole” was reported discovered on a door of Japan’s Subaru Telescope on the summit.

Kahoʻokahi Kanuha says he received a phone call from Hilo Police Captain Richard Sherlock “to explain that there is an ongoing investigation about a bullet hole that was found in the door of the Subaru Telescope atop Mauna a Wākea.”

Kanuha said police believe the bullet was shot anytime between Friday and Saturday night.

The protectors – who maintain a vigil on the Mauna Kea Access Road at Hale Pohaku all day and night – say they did not see any suspicious activity on the mountain and did not hear anything sounding like gun shots.

The internet was full of speculation on Sunday as the news of the “bullet hole” made the rounds across social media. Many wondered if there was a link between the damage to Subaru and the ongoing tensions surrounding the Thirty Meter Telescope project, which has been delayed by a blockade organized by opponents of the project. The protectors addressed the speculation in the statement.

This type of action is very inconsistent with the Kū Kiaʻi Mauna movement and the kapu of aloha that has been placed on Mauna a Wākea for the past 74 days. In no way do the protectors condone any kind of action like this on the sacred mountain of Wākea under any circumstance for any reason. The safety of everyone on the mountain has always been a very high priority for the protectors. The protectors informed the police department as well as an employee of Subaru that if there is anything that the protectors can do to be of assistance, they are more than willing to fully cooperate. The protectors send their aloha to the all of the employees of the Subaru Telescope. Ku Kia’i Mauna