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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0760.005 2020-2022 no I Re-5.No-22 comm.70 From: maryrose rain bowfriends.org Sent: Tuesday, May 03, 2022 11:38 AM To: Council Testimony Subject: Testimony re Item 9 Res. 390-22:7 multi-year employment contracts for HPD re Animal Control Attachments: Press Release Mahalo Letter(1).docx Testimony by Mary Rose Krijgsman - Founder/President and General Manager of Rainbow Friends Animal Sanctuary established in 1999 in Hilo/Kurtistown and Waimea. PO Box 1259, Kurtistown Hawaii 96760 CD maryrose@rainbowfriends.org Office landline: 808-982-5110 - Mobile phone: 808-494-8700 r Waimea Shelter- next to Waimea - Kohala airport y r She is clothed in Strength and Dignity and Laughs without fear of the future. -- Aloha Honorable Council Members, Wabi Sabi -the disaster will be just fine while you yield to that which is imperfect while continuously taking steps to a way of life that is Pono in its expression including all life in your feelings and thoughtforms. For longer than 21/2 decades this Island of Hawai'i was slated as the 6t" worst offender in killing just fine animals who had strayed for different reasons. 12,000- 15,000 per year for 25 years. That is hugely offensive and borders on scandalous and we all should feel embarrassed about having that happen to the depth of our Soul! The Spirit of Aloha is there for all:the blade of grass,the insect,the ocean creature,the bird, the plant, the flower, the tree,the animal and the human. The human species is the new kid on the block on this Planet. And as long as these humans continue to have a way of life that is about 'slash and burn', by the individual, by the family, by the community, by the organization, by the business, by the village, by the city, by the nation and nations, the meek will indeed inherit the Earth. You have any idea who these 'meek' will be?The blade of grass,the flea,the tick,the cockroach,the toad, the little dinosaur, the little dragon, creatures who were inhabiting this Planet way before us humans. And we have made a serious mess of it, as we are the guests of a Planet first lived on by animals, flowers, plants,trees et al. The Dolphins have been here for 35 million years to give an example, the Whales for 500 million years,the Elephants the same and us humans hardly for 3! We are responsible for the destruction and misuse of this fantastic and beautiful Planet, whereas we are supposed to be the Stewarts of all! My vision is simple:to live and promote a lifestyle and way of life between animal and human that is healthy, happy and pono and co-create that with others. Personal integrity: Ccmu 7a. No° Ref, a e: 1 Rai. Date -2022. i I honor all expression of Spirit. I am not Against anybody or anything. And 1 am For anything and everything to emote,feel,think, act, speak Pono! We are each responsible (response able)for our emotions, feelings, thoughts, actions and words every fraction of a second of every day. All beings are created equally. We are all One, because we are all inter-connected through Spirit and we are not Same! Behave as if God in all life matters. My friend Lauren Nickerson, who had volunteered 2 years with Rainbow Friends doing excellent work installing our Instagram page and setting up a solid flight program to send animals to the mainland of the US, asked me 3 years ago: Mary Rose, I would like to work at the Hawaii Island Humane Society,would you be ok with that? I said, of course, if you feel that you make a difference that way, by all means. I was sad to see her leave though. She worked 1 year under the Animal Control Contract Program, still being a Kill Contract. She talked with her Board and she withdrew from bidding for renewal of her Contract by May 2020, not being able to stand for the killing. I was the only bidder, so I was awarded the Contract starting August 1, 2020. My police boss said: Mary Rose,you are not signing a No Kill Contract, you realize that?Yes, I said and I am going to try to invoke a change towards a Care Contract. He said, ok, as long as we understand each other. Then he said: Mary Rose, it is your mandate to take all the strays of the streets of this Island of Hawaii and also remove all the animal accidental deaths from the road ways. I took that mandate very very seriously. So I did. We suggested that the Highway division could take on the job of removing carcasses from the road ways. We were told: no,that is your job. Whereas the present HPD Animal Control Unit the next year after us did just that: have the Highway division remove all dead carcasses or at least we need to call them and tell them where they are. Plentiful! I was to be ready in 4 days! The only Shelter we had available was the County Kona Shelter. It became arduously a challenge to find a Shelter for the East Side of Hawaii. And the County had put that burden on me. We established a lease with Sarah of Barking Dog Kennels in Orchidland. I proposed to the County to purchase this facility for their steady and solid East Side Animal Control Facility. I was told: no, we are not going to buy anything for Animal Control. And we leased Kipimana Warehouse in Keaau, we used a section of our Sanctuary in Kurtistown, we leased the Waimea Shelter in Waimea and we were at the Kona Shelter Facility and we had facilities with private people/organizations/ boarding kennels to house all the strays we picked up from the streets. Whereas just recently in the Tribune Herald, Major Wana of the HPD Animal Control unit suggested just that to you to buy the Barking Dog Kennel in Orchidland for a steady East Side Animal Control Facility and ...? I proposed purchasing of this facility to my Police associates and bosses and was told: no,this will not be approved because it is too far. 2 Whereas the present HPD Animal Control Unit allowed itself to settle in Volcano in a very small facility ...? Not too far? Whereas the present NPD Animal Control Unit has put the burden of not having an East Side Animal Control Facility on your shoulders, stating they cannot do their work due to lack thereof. Whereas the present HPD Animal Control Unit has put on its handout suggesting to the public, if a stray is found and is healthy, to call the Rescue Organizations. So, now the burden of taking in strays is with us still without receiving any County help. My budget for the Interim Contract as it was called because we were not set up and who could within 4 days was $ 94,000. My budget played out as follows: $ 22,000 spent on Spay/ Neuter every month $40,000 spent on Payroll every month $9,000 spent on medical/veterinary care, greatly augmented by RFAS funds every month $ 23,000 spent on insurance liability/fire/cars - supplies -food -repairs - upkeep - leases-electricity-garbage disposal -Telephone landlines -Telephone dispatch -Telephone mobile -Computers -Office stuff et al. Only after I had signed the Contract, I was told that the County pays on invoice and that I would not see any$ 94,000 until September 16, 2020, 6 weeks after August 1, 2020,the start of the Contract. Who was supposed to come up with payroll funds,food for the animals, repairs, supplies et al between August 1 and September 16, 2020? I did: I loaned the fulfillment of the start of the Contract$ 105,000 of my own personal funds, received from a then recent inheritance re the passing on of a relative. I am still waiting. 1/5 of the dogs strayed we took in were well cared for and retrieved by their owners/guardians just about immediately. 4/5 of the dogs strayed we took in were not in good health and very redeemable and able to get well and were never picked up. We found: 15 different cancers broken toes broken knees broken hips broken vertebrae skin challenge:fungal skin challenge: mange demodactic skin challenge: mange sarcoptic skin challenge:flea allergy skin challenge:flea anemia Parvo virus Erhlicia Heartworm positive dogs FIV positive cats FELV positive cats hip displasia pain in general malnourished s emaciated too skinny inflammatory discomfort dead kittens in the belly dead puppies in the belly difficult births overtired inbred worn out because of all this sun stroke 3 rat lung worm disease mosquito allergy ingrown collars 112 inch deep dogs wounded by boars boars/pigs wounded by dogs cats mutilated dogs wounded by dogs dogs/cats/pigs wounded by cars pigs in snares dogs in snares, set for pigs et al All the animals who came in with these challenges went for veterinary care around the Island, received medical care and healed and were put up for foster or adoption, were transferred to other organizations (see attachment, press release) or stayed with us. None were necessary to be killed for these challenges. All got happy outcomes. Present situation: I am for the County taking on the job of'Animal Control' as long as it stays with the Control need for the mandatory 2 days and then moves on to 'Care' and only express 'true Euthanasia' which means then when the animal is deemed not to be repaired, has no quality life expectancy and that this is shared with the animal spirit. Or abolish the need for Animal Control all together and leave the care of these animals to an Engaged Citizenry and informed Populace/all the Rescue, Rehabilitation, Welfare Animal Organizations/community neighborhood watches/ et al. Or just keep the difficult, sometimes aggressive packs of dogs left on the road being a potential danger to humans and other animals in your care. A better law re this issue has been recently established thanks to your Council! Please observe that the region Puna, as large as the Island of Oahu is mired in poverty, inhabited by humans who have multiple animals who are not usually spayed or neutered, animals who are not socialized nor trained by humans who are not educated, do what they think is best, do not know better and love their animals. Please observe that inbreeding and overbreeding is still rampant, creating animals who have suppressed immune systems, animals who with proper veterinary and medical care still can enjoy a super life. Please observe that the animal challenge on this Island is huge and is due to the uneducated and sometimes therefore irresponsible behavior and treatment to these animals by us humans. And please observe it does not do to judge, and it does do to start educating and training. Animals and humans alike. I invite you to take the East Hawaii Facility re Barking Dog Kennels in Orchidland seriously. Sarah has been there for 40 years solid and is ready to retire. Perfect for County Animal Control followed by and moved forward to Care. 4 The facility is equipped with 80-90 perfect cement temporary dog living spaces, plenty of good cat habitats, 2 spaces available for clinics/ medical care or spay-neuter. It has a caretaker cottage, is on 3 acres so that the dogs have play/ training space and a good office and has plenty of play yards for dogs to run in. You cannot wish for better and I am happy that I could be the trendsetter/pioneer for this opportunity. Re that pioneering: all pioneers or people wishing to invoke a change because it is very needed, always receive resistance. Because in essence, humans do not want to change. Complain,whine,yes but change, no. In my case, 1 was maligned, I was blasphemed, I was ridiculed, 1 was threatened, I was crucified, I was judged scathingly, I was betrayed to the depth of my Soul and I was set aside as a crazy old lady and I was not paid my dues! For your record and information: Since 1999,the year of the establishing of the Sanctuary I have spent millions of dollars personally besides the funds RFAS has been able to attract through grants, donations or donations in kind, keeping this up, rescued, cared for,fostered/adopted out thousands of animals including to Germany/The Netherlands and most States of the US mainland including all of the Hawaii Islands. We have done this work for 23 years with a small group of compassionate and dedicated humans and our 11 months worth of Animal Control Contract was smack in the middle of the COVID-19 era during which we like everybody else on the Planet had our challenges on top of establishing a new start up organization for thousands of animals. We have practiced TNR and TNRM for cats and have worked at least 15 colonies of cats around the Island. We have helped poor people with needy animals with at least $ 150,000 and received no help in return. We have gone into numerous neighborhoods, subdivisions and transfer stations to do this TNR and TNRM around the Island. The County has been handed over the years all the necessary ingredients to do the job Pono and with Aloha including connecting with Becky Robinson of Alley Cat Allies,the expert on TNR and TNRM, connecting with Nathan and Jennifer Winograd of No Kill Advocates who have made No Kill between 600-1000 communities on the Mainland US and who have helped us set us up with 11 life saving programs within our Animal Control Contract, of which the Spay Neuter side was the strongest and then the transfer of animals to other Rescue Organizations for the purpose of foster and adoption and connecting with and taking seriously all of the wonderful Rescue/Welfare Organizations on this Island. I also invite you to consider establishing 2 County Sanctuaries, 1 on each side on 50- 200 acres each to start promoting, living, walking your talk about true animal care/support/compassion/et al. Maybe the property next to the Zoo on Hilo Side that was slated for the Orangutans is appropriate for East Side. That County takes on Animal Control is appropriate as long as it is done Pono, like everything else in life. The many Rescue/Welfare Organizations on this Island have not only their hands full,they have their own vision and mission and there is a tremendous amount of good, meaningful and joyful work to be done for all to get this done Pono and with Aloha. I also invite you to consider asking the passengers of the Cruise Ships $1 each for the homeless, $1 each for the plants and trees and $ 1 each for the animals when they disembark in Hilo or in Kona. $3 total for each passenger. I also invite you to include the expertise of Honorable ex major Harry Kim with whom I have worked on establishing a sub committee to study the building of a space port facility on this Island because of'risk management', only risking 200,000 humans, using plutonium as their payload and the track record of the supporting Titan IV rockets exploding at launch has been 1 on 12. The Space Continuum had received flack from citizens in Florida and California, hence the suggestion to come to this Island. Nagasaki and Hiroshima were destroyed by just a mere 2lbs of Plutonium and the payload of these rockets is around 50 lbs or over. And yes,with proper management this can go correct like the Cassini which was sent to study Saturn holding 72 lbs of Plutonium as payload, risking the whole 5 Planet after our Judge Ezra in Honolulu ordered Nasa to recalibrate their computer system to ascertain proper flight and flyby our Mother Earth after slingshot arriving near our magnetic fields again. We also worked on the Navy Sonar testing in front of the Kohola Heiau. We also worked on Y2K. We also worked on TNR and TNRM and he established a proclamation endorsing TNR and TNRM on this Island. Where did that ever go? t He also signed a proclamation on January 5th, 2005 endorsing the Rainbow Friends Animal Sanctuary site in Kurtistown as a Pu'u Honua for animals, the only such one in the State of Hawaii, stating that humanity shares the Earth with millions of other species and there is a need to improve the relationship between humans and the other species sharing this planet! I realize that some humans on this Island have trouble with our Sanctuary, it is situated in a rainforest with all its challenges of it and we have always focused on the health, happiness and joy of the many, many animals coming in through our doors rather than establishing a multi-million dollar facility. I say to everybody who does not like what we are doing: by all means, come and help, start your own, or mean something for animals on other parts of the Island or in different ways. Try to live your life with your cup half full! We also talked about an Animal Care Contract for the Island of Hawaii which I presented to him June 2, 2007 at his office. The Island of Hawaii is ready. ANIMAL LOVERS ON THE ISLAND OF HAWAI'I - UNITE! Go to the people Live with them Learn with them Love them Start with what they know Build with what they have But with the best leaders When the work is done The task accomplished The people will say "We have done this ourselves" Lao Tsu "Man can no longer live for himself alone. We must realize that all life is valuable and that we are united to all life. From this knowledge comes our spiritual relationship with the universe". We are all Spiritual Beings having a Physical Experience! "Until he extends the circle of his compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace". "By respect for life we become spiritual in a way that is elementary, profound and alive". Albert Schweitzer 6 "Behave as if God in all life matters". Machaelle Small Wright "Be the change you want to see in the world". Gandhi This thoughtform,feeling, act comes from within and from facing honestly the within. "There is no passion to be found playing small" and settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living. Nelson Mandela. He and I met at the East River bank in Manhattan near the Carl Schurtz park where he stayed in the Mayor's mansion in that park. I addressed him in Afrikaans (a Dutch language derivative) and said: Baie Danke for all the solid work you have established. He waved away his secret agents, we looked each other in the eyes, witnessed our Souls and embraced! I speak and/or understand 9 languages. First among the explanations we hear from lovers of cruel practices is the statement that nature herself is full of cruelty. True- but this does not remove my guilt, when because of my thoughtlessness or delight in the drama of battle, I still further increase the existing measure of woe and suffering. Behold an animal:they are present in the moment, they are very aware of who they are,they only kill to sustain themselves, not for sport or just because they can, like humans do, they are outstanding mothers and fathers,they sometimes mate for life, they mourn the passing of loved ones, little chicks have the intelligence of primates,they live in sustainable communities, they communicate with one another unlike humans,they take care of themselves, express their joy and happiness and are aware of their environment, they are excellent teachers and they were here long before humans. God created Adam and Eve through the HA and Mark Zuckerberg did the rest! And he created keyboard warriors, humans who can whine and complain by pushing one button. Humans who have not called nor visited me to ascertain or ask what was going on or how they could help. We are all Hawaii! HA-the Sacred Breath of God (You) WAI -the Body of Water (You) I -of the Highest Order(You) We are moving forward to a New Paradigm -where Power With is the frequency. We are leaving the Old Paradigm - where Power Over is the frequency. The love of power is temporary, of a temporal mind and dwelling in the Ego whereas the power of love is not only hugely powerful but also eternal, of an expansive mind and dwelling in the Soul. When the Love of Power is outdone by the Power of Love this Planet will know Peace.Jimmy Hendricks, another trendsetter/pioneer. So, let's shake hands,work together creating a way of life of Pono and Aloha Spirit for the greater good of this Island which includes Humans, Animals, Ocean Creatures, Flowers, Plants,Trees, Insects, Birds, Soil, Water, Air and Fire et al, because we are all inter-connected and it is time now to not only visit this but live it in integrity. This Island of Hawai'i is not for nothing the Heart of the Planet Earth! Let's live it, let's be the example! With 21 ecosystems of the 22 present on the Planet,this Island is truly a miniature Earth. Let's show that we can! Mahalo nui, Let's make some Joyful Noise together... 7 i In Grace and Joy I Mary Rose Founder/President/General Manager Rainbow Friends Animal Sanctuary Kurtistown and Waimea PO Box 1259 17-382 13 Mile Road Kurtistown, Hawaii 96760 67-1611 Hawaii Belt Road Waimea, Hawaii 96743 next to Waimea-Kohala Airport maryrose@rainbowfriends.org 808-982-5110 landline office Kurtistown 808-494-8700 mobile phone Mary Rose www.rainbowfriends.org Home RAINBOW FRIENDS ANIMAL SANCTUARY WELCOME Rainbow S A Friends Animal Sanctuary is a 501(c)3 non profit organization dedicated to the well being of Hawaii's unwanted, rejected, abandoned, abused or otherwise neglected animals, especially companion ani als.Our services include rescuing, fostering, provision of food, medical care and safe She is clothed in Strength and dignity and Laughs without fear of the future. PS. When the 990-2021 for the IRS is finished,then we will send both 990s for 2020 and 2021 including a full report of our Animal Control Contract 11 months with 1 month Supplemental to transition animals to our facilities away from Control facilities to the different departments of the County. Therewith finishing our due diligence re the Letter of the Law! We then expect 30 days after delivering these reports,the payment due to us of$47,000 with appropriate interest for the latter part of July 2021. And we expect the return of all goods stated on a list valued at $85,000 taken to Property Management of the County of Hawaii because we were 1 day late of issuing this list. Letter of the Law! We expect return of these goods 60 days after delivery of these reports. And so it is... 8