HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0283.287 2024-2026r
From: Tracy Zuziak Z!9
Q�
Sent: Sunday, July 6, 2025 4:01 PMc;Q
To: Council Testimony ram"
Subject: Bill 51 - opposition testimony
Chairperson Dennis Onishi, Vice Chair, and Committee Members, _,
Thank you for the opportunity to testify. I respectfully urge -you to oppose Bill 51, which seeks%
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criminalize the feeding of feral or stray animals on County -owned property. This proposal undermines
proven humane strategies for managing cat populations, discourages community -driven conservation
efforts, all while threatening both animal welfare and community collaboration.
Key Points:
Across Hawaii, dedicated community members, volunteers, and animal welfare organizations work
tirelessly to manage cat colonies through the proven method of Trap -Neuter -Return (TNR). Feeding is
essential for monitoring and caring for sterilized cats, tracking colony health, and reducing roaming and
scavenging behavior.
Criminalizing feeding breaks this cycle, making cats harder to trap and sterilize, and allowing' unsterilized
populations to grow unchecked.
Feeding is not the problem — it is part of the solution:
Feeding bans do not eliminate cats but make them harder to monitor, vaccinate, and sterilize.
1. Impact on Community and Volunteers:
o The bill penalizes humane behavior and targets those trying to help, leaving sterilized
animals to suffer from hunger and neglect
2. Environmental and Wildlife Considerations:
o Concerns about wildlife impact are valid, but TNR is more effective than feeding bans..
Studies show sterilized colonies naturally decline over time, reducing strain on native
species. Additional published research shows regular feeding reduces predation since
regularly fed cats are less likely to hunt and kill wildlife.
o Feeding bans disrupt colony locations and sizes, making targeted conservation
impossible. TNR and feeding stations concentrate cats in specific locations, reducing their
roaming radius and minimizing impacts on sensitive wildlife habitats.
o Cats will not disappear simply because compassionate people can no longer legally feed
them. This bill does not address the root causes — animal abandonment & lack of
affordable spay/neuter services. COMIT ^� �•
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Ref. D-le Ui� 8 2025
3. Practical Enforcement Challenges:
o These caregivers are not causingthe problem —they are actively mitigating it, and
crimina,!izingthem is a deeply troubling precedent. Passing this law sends a chilling
message that compassion is a crime - in direct opposition with the spirit of aloha.
o Policing individuals who leave life sustaining food and water outdoors is an impractical use
of resources which already struggle with limited staff and budgets, diverting these
resources from addressing true public -safety threats. Moreover, these resources would be
better utilized by enforcing penalties for animal abandonment- one of the key issues
driving the need for managed colonies.
4. Call for Humane Management:
o Instead of criminalizing feeding, please support programs that educate the public, fund TNR
efforts, provide affordable spay/neuter, and build alliances with community caregivers and
animal control. These partnerships work- and honor the values of compassion & care that
define our communities. Humane collaboration is more effective & lasting than punitive
measures against those who are trying to help.
o By partnering with community caregivers and animal welfare experts, we can balance
environmental concerns with ethical treatment of animals. Hawaii's animal cruelty laws
promote a culture of empathy and respect for all living beings. The criminalization of feeding
colony cats undermines effective and compassionate animal management.
In conclusion, I encourage you to reject cruel, punitive, and ineffective ordinances by voting "NO" on Bill
51 and instead to support humane, effective and science -driven animal policies that really work to
stabilize the population.
Mahalo for your consideration of my testimony and for choosing compassion, kindness, logic and
collaboration over criminalization.
Tracy Zuziak- resident of Kea'au, a foster for Action 4 Animals Hawaii and dedicated volunteer for PetFix
Big Island
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