HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0283.380 2024-2026From: Miriam Palmer
Sent: Saturday, July 19, 2025 8:52 PM o n
To: Council Testimony co,n
Subject: Testimony Opposing Bill 51 c czc)
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Aloha a Councilmembers— =-,r-
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I write in vehement opposition to Bill 51 and to the testimony now circulating in its support. FtAsr from;
being "balanced" and "science -based," this measure weaponizes fear, ignores peer-reviewe�Pbvidfiffice,
and criminalizes community stewardship of animals and public spaces alike.
1. Feeding bans fail to solve the problem
Numerous studies show that prohibiting feeding merely scatters cats into surrounding neighborhoods
where monitoring, sterilization, and vaccination become impossible —driving up nuisance complaints
rather than reducing them
2. Trap -Neuter -Return (TNR) plus managed feeding works
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Long-term, campus -wide and municipal case studies demonstrate population declines of 50-99 percent
when structured TNR programs —including designated feeding stations —are allowed to operate.
Eliminating feeders guts the very infrastructure required to trap, sterilize, vaccinate, and monitor
colonies.
3. Bill 51 punishes volunteers and shifts costs to taxpayers
County caregivers —largely women donating time and resources —already supply tens of thousands of
dollars' worth of labor in trapping, veterinary care, and daily monitoring. Penalizing them with fines will
not remove cats; it will simply hand the bill to Animal Control and Parks & Rec.
4. The bill's wildlife -protection rationale is scientifically thin
The tragic toxoplasmosis case cited in the sample testimony is heartbreaking, yet isolated incidents are
being wielded as policy sledgehammers. Hawai`i's leading wildlife scientists agree that reducing cat
populations, not merely dispersing them, is the only durable path; TNR is the proven way to do that
5. A better, evidence -based path forward
County -backed, data -driven TNR with mandatory microchipping and early -age spay/neuter for
owned cats.
• Regulated feeding stations tied to colony census targets, allowing humane monitoring and
ensuring prompt removal of newcomers.
• Targeted habitat defenses (cat -proof fencing, deterrents) around the most sensitive nene
nesting areas.
• Public education & enforcement against abandonment —the true pipeline for feral populations.
Comm. 3 "D
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Ref. Date
Closing
Bill 51 mistakes performative punishment for ecological stewardship. Compassion, science, and fiscal
prudence converge on a managed TNR approach —not a blanket feeding ban likely to backfire on wildlife,
communities, and the County budget alike. I urge you to reject this misguided ordinance and instead
adopt a policy rooted in measurable outcomes, not moral panic.
Mahalo for considering real solutions,over rhetoric.
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