HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0283.452 2024-2026From:
Margo Cassidy
Sent:
Monday, July 21, 2025 7:56 PM
To:
Council Testimony
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Subject:
OPPOSE BILL 51
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Aloha, vM
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My name is Margo Campainha Cassidy, and I am a proud Hawaiian
woman living between Napa, California, and Hilo. -I was raised between
Hilo with my Campainha/Pavoa family and Waimea with my Lindsey
'ohana. My Hawaiian roots run deep, and my love for animals goes even
deeper. For over 30 years, I've been rescuing animals and advocating for
their welfare —work that began because of the heartbreaking cruelty I
witnessed growing up here in Hawaii.
I saw the pain in animals' eyes, the ones abandoned, starving, suffering
in silence. As a child, I was told, "That's the Hawaiian way." But that's
not the Hawaiian way I stand for. I was raised with aloha, and to. me,
aloha means compassion, kuleana, and caring for those who cannot care
for themselves. That includes our animals.
Today, I am writing to you because the practice of starving cats in
County parks cannot succeed. It is inhumane and it is not a solution.
Whoever believes starving cats will somehow "solve" the problem does
not understand the real issue or the real answer. All that does is force
already vulnerable animals to rely on their hunting instincts —leading to
suffering, malnourishment, and ultimately, more chaos.
The answer is not cruelty. The answer is TNRM: Trap -Neuter -Return -
Manage.
TNRM is the only statistically proven method that reduces community
cat populations over time. Caregivers feed colonies, humanely tr� L
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them, spay/neuter the animals, and return them while continuing to
manage the colonies. I know because I did this work hands-on for 15
years —managing colonies of 5, 20, sometimes even 50 cats. And I
witnessed the most powerful thing: over time, the numbers dropped.
The cats stopped reproducing. The colonies faded out naturally and
humanely. Not through starvation. Through compassion and proven
strategy.
In recent years, rescues across the island have stepped up. Spay and
neuter events are happening more frequently than ever. But the
problem now lies in reaching the people who dump and breed
animals —getting them to these clinics. There needs to be stronger
enforcement. Mandatory spay and neuter policies. Education
campaigns. Accountability.
Why not go after those who are part of the problem?
• The feeders who do not practice TNR.
• The breeders who continue to dump kittens in County parks.
• The repeat offenders who bring litters into shelters and are still
given the opportunities of free vouchers. They need follow-up or
consequence.
Meanwhile, rescues like mine, and here on the island are doing the
hard work, every day, trying to fix what's been broken. What we
need is not punishment —we need partnership. A united effort
between the County, the rescues, and the community. We need our
Humane Society and Animal Control to play an active role, not
remain complacent. Their silence in the face of cruelty is complicity.
We have come too far to go backward. Let's not shame the people
feeding and caring for the animals —the ones doing the hard work.
Let's uplift them. Work with them. TNRM is not just the most
compassionate option —it's the only option that works.
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Please, do not allow starvation to be policy. That is not the Hawaii I
believe in. Not the Hawaii that raised me with aloha. Show our
community, our children, and our future that we can solve this with
dignity and care.
With deepest respect and hope,
Margo Campainha Cassidy also of the Lindsey family
Hawaiian, Animal Rescuer, Advocate
CI