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Home My WebLink AboutCOM 0054.014 2000-2002 - S PHONE NUMBERS OF ENCLOSED LETTERS Jennie Adoca, Waimea, W)855-4493 Madelyn Barrea, iCialua-Kona H)323-2290 Lenore Ednie, Waikoloa H)883-3771 Chns Ganghen, Waikoloa H)883-8311 RECEIV® Ferol Kolons Wailcoloa H)883-8051 its. qy ~ Margie McMahon, Kazlua-Kona H)329-4103 Da1e__ _ _ ~>i!o ~ Irene Soloway, Waikoloa H)883-2892 Manlyn VanCramm, Waikoloa H)883-1158 Dr Pam Wamer, Waimea (till Feb 28) H)887-9344 then Shorewood, Minnesota H)952-474-6381 Comm. Na FSJe No. ree~~ Ref. To: e.c. D.~ MAR 2 ~nm Picttue #1: Cat in drop off cage without food and with rusty watering can difficult to drink from. Picture #2: Dog with dirty water and food dish whtch is hard to get to and empty. The other dogs in he kennel had nothing to lay on -just the wet concrete floor. Picture #3: Dog feces collected in the trench outside the dog kennels not washed into the sewer making the whole kennel smell. Picture #4: Waimea dogs m a recent afternoon rainstorm without the canvass protectors extended. Dogs were wet and so were their kennels. Picture #5: Entrance to the Waimea facility. Picture #ti: Dirty, empty water dish. Picture #T Kona shelter Picture #8: Kona shelter i. f •i i - ~ .n is . I. A b ki { 1 K ~ ~~t, ~ ~ r y,, .,yy~~.;~, f~~ qR t ~ ~ ~ wM. ~ . : ::J ~ ~e ~ # / ~ J February 20, 2001 Mayor Harry Kim and staff, Counal Members, 25 Aupuni St Hilo, Hawan 96720 Dear Mayor Kim and staff, Counal Members and Mr Hashida, I'm Dr Pamela Warner I am a recently retired Psychologist and state college educator/counselor from the Minneapolis area of Minnesota where I still live My husband and I love the beautiful Hawanan islands and have traveled here many times After many years of planning, we wtll finally be mowng permanently to one of the islands this fall Last year I spent 6 weeks on Maw where I volunteered regularly at the animal shelter The expenence was wonderful The animals at the Maui shelter and their Irving spaces were kept very clean Staff and volunteers held, groomed, and played and exerased animals often The atmosphere was upbeat and positive The animals responded For the most part, they seemed contented and settled I was hooked Consistent with the spirit of Aloha, I thought, Hawanans love then animals The effect of the Maw expenence was so powerful that when I returned to Minneapolis, I conitnued volunteer work at amoral shelters in the Mnneapolis area I found no facility operated as well or better than the Maui faality Returning to the island of Hawan this winter I looked forward to volunteenng at a local shelter here and expected, naively, the same wonderful experience as last year Here is a beef narrative of my expenence with the Waimea Animal Shelter February 6, Tuesday I dropped in at the shelter unannounced during regular public hours to offer myself as a volunteer I stared in amazement at the cat cages with litter boxes almost solid with unne and feces and completely dry water bowls The animals were meowing loudly and extending paws through their cages There seemed to be only one attendant at the shelter I offered to help She gave me a beef volunteer onentation and I went to work for about 2 hours, cleaning all the cat sages and replenishing water The cats drank and drank from their water bowls and defecated immediately in their clean litter boxes Some of the cats had matted eyes All had bloated tummies There seemed to be no vet at the site and no regular vet care One cat had diarrhea which the attendant thought might be stress related There were very few toys and no seeming exerase regimen The attendant told me they were kept in these cages until adopted There seemed to be no exerase area for cats in the faality Several cat litter boxes were chewed down around the edges The attendant received several phone calls whtle I was there and one emergency call which regwred her to close the shelter early and respond to the emergency I went home distressed and confused Hawan and the Hawanan people are kind and generous How could the shelter be so different here than on Maws February 7, Wednesday I dropped in at the shelter unannounced around 2PM dunng posted public access hours There was no one there All spaces in the drop off kennels were taken The dogs had tittle or no water and food I scavenged rusty cans from the shelter grounds and filled them with my bottled water and slipped it under the doors of then cages The dogs drank and drank and drank Cats in the unventilated drop off units were without water One had a serous infury with paralyzed back legs and was clearly in distress Dogs in the kennels I observed through the fence had no water and, in some cases no food They appeared agitated, licking their empty water bowls when they observed me watering the dogs outside One dog had a large gash on his shoulder and another behind his ear which looked raw and untreated I went home distressed and came back with a big dug of water antl the woman I am renting from There was a man there from the community with food he had brought himself feeding the dogs in the drop off unds He said he came often to feed the animals m the drop off units because they never seemed to have food and water The three of us stayed there till close to 5PM No attendant ever came My landlady and I took the paralyzed cat to the local vet where I paid to have him euthan¢ed Later that evenmg I was driving by the shelter at 6 30PM and noticed the attendant was finally there I drove in and offered to help her She refused my help She said she had been there last at 6AM that day When I drove back by at 8 30PM her truck was still there That evenmg, I attended a midweek church service at small church m Waikoloa I shared with some local residents my experience at the shelter and they became concerned and proposed a meeting at the shelter the next morning to see for themselves February 7, Thursday I and community residents gathered at the local shelter at 11 30 AM The conditions were similar to the night before except the drop off units were empty of dogs and most cats Even some of the dogs m the regular kennels that were there the day before were gone and replaced with other dogs Cn~~ld his single attendant have euthanized so many animals last naht m thie_ tpy fa ili I wondered. emce Cher wa< < ~ h a large turnover in dogs in less than 24 hours9 How did she do its Where were the carcasses? Posted public hours were to begin at noon No one came The dogs behind the fence were without water and some wthout food The attendant finally came around 1 30PM and called her supervisor, Grayson Hashida, whom I visited with for about 1/2 hour regarding my experience and concerns He said the Waimea facility had been understaffed for a period of days or weeks, I wasn't clear which He welcomed the idea of my trying to find community volunteers to make up the difference but he didn't want them to have a key to the facility I thought, how can volunteers help when staff with keys are here so sporadically?~ I go back to the mainland March 1 Unfortunately, this very negative encounter on the Big Island of Hawau will be foremost m my mind Will I tell others about my negative experience on the Big Islands Yes Will they tell others9 Probably When I first experienced all this, I hoped it was all a mistake, that what I observed was a temporary lapse in service to the Waimea shelter because of some unusual circumstance As I visited with more and more local residents, more and more sad stories emerged of negative experiences stretched out over months and years -reportedly inhumane euthanizing and dumping carcasses at a local dump site, someone who went to adopt an animal and left because the facility was very dirty and the animals appeared diseased, someone who found a stray but wouldn't take it to the shelter because of the inadequate care she was sure it would receive, someone who left in tears at puppies shivering on the cold, concrete floor wdh no bedding to lie on, and most distressing of all, people who shook their heads and said "I know it's bad I dust avoid going over there " Mr Mayor and Council Member your community is hurting over this issue This letter and other letters and voices you will hear from your community are wake up calls to you PLEASE, PLEASE HELP With Best arils, Pamela Wainer, Ed D 0-19 -L 1 :0 5 _FS'QI ~ . FE?CAL • ~]Lr~ _ BELL-B83EE'E 1 iG ?E9E'c 1 FniiE ~ . February 16,2001 To: Mayor Harry Kim County Council Members This letter is in regard to the horrible conditions that exist and have existed for some Limo at the Hawaii Island Humane Society shelter in Waimea. First, let me say that I have been spaying and neutering feral Cats for the past two years. The reason i got involved was HIHS did not want to address the leral cat problem and offered no spay neuter program. You can't imagine the suffering I've aeon In my 13 years of living on the big inland, Animals with broken backs ana legs, animals with their akin ripped from their bodies, blind, starving and sick feral cats every place you go on the west side of the island, 9o I decided that something had to be done to decrease their numbers and improve their health. Unfortunately there isn't enough money to fix all the animals I catch, so selectively for the past !ew years I've been trapping spaying and neutering feral cats at Hapuna Beach and the surrounding areas. For the cats that are to sick or to wild to be fixed I've been forced to take them to the Waimea shelter to be killed. No matter how many times i've been there I've always bean appalled and disgusted with the conditions the animals are kept in and the general over-all lack of concern for the animals welfare. Since the shelter has very limited hours of operation I've been forced to leave cats in the outside receiving cages. Num- erous times I've found dead and dying cats with no water or food. The outside dog receiving kenels are ~uat as bad. Even during their regular hours 1've found no-one there to help me with the cats. During the summer when feral cats are moat numerous, I make regular drop offs. Holding cages are very limited and I've seen staff workers cram up to 3 adult cats in a cage meant for one. I've pointed out that this is rather inhumane treatment and the reply i get is well it doesn't matter, they're all going to die. There also have been instances when feral cats have been stuffed and left in these cages overnight and well into the following day Regarding the dogs that are kept in the inside holding area, the conditions are just appalling. Dogs and puppies that have been hosed down when the kennels are being cleaned. Dogs forced to lie on cold wet cement with no warm or dry place to go. Cold and shivering dogs and puppies that never get attention or ex- ercise. This past week when the wind and rain was ao bad I stop- ped by the shelter to cheek on things and what i found was the dogs In the inside kennels as well as all the animals in the out- side cages wet and shivering. Under the HIHS contract I know that all animals are guaran- teed Certain things. Food,water,pr~per shelter and cages large enough for them to move about !n, Why are the basic necessities being denied to the animals? Why has nothing been done about these problems? why doesn't the HIHS do the job they were con- tracted to do? 3c-19-91 !E.S? FRpl1'FERWL KCLOIJS ~ 898-8838051 ~ TI_ 3c96 cl FPoae Ctc t How can the HIHS even call themselves a humane society when it's leadership and management lack animal expierence end don't > care about the animals and community they are supposed to serve? ' How much longer will the suffering continue? what is it going to take to make HIHS fulfill their contract? These are all questions I'd like the aASwers to7 i tried speaking to the past management at HIHS and I was pretty much ignored as numerous other people in the community ' who've called about the problems, I've been told there isn't a problem, or they'll look into 1t, Of Course they never do, from my expierences anyway and nothing ever changes. There's no accountab><lity at HIHS so they seem to be able to do or not to do whatever they want. ~ This has got to change immediately. Something must be done now to help the animals and inforce the contract. You, Mayor Kim and county council members Can make ~ki9 happen, Pleas• do not ignore the community who's tax dollars help support the xIHS or the lost and abandoned animals who depend on HIHS for their well being, i Please authorize a independent performance audit of HIHS, Problems need to be identified and changes Hoed to be made. To much time has been lost already and t}~e Guttering continues with no end in sight. The animals and the community deserve better. S Sincerely, ' Ferol M. Kolons waikoloe, HI I1i?, WM iiasvna.[oday, ltNYlt%1 aDar 1S. S99{, . fetters ~ ' - _ ~ was ascurcJ that w 'had cxpcri- I anted never happei, ' at tt had been a fluke, and than ottltl F, ,lr; neverihcless mvesuga,v ' ~ i e or the sure that It would never haH, Dpi mt(x1 agmn St,tt s Well, it happened Thts last ~ ~ ~ In Itt ~ Sunday, Nov 29, 1 deC1l1W to vtstt I ~ny~~ I Iti'vi i •n an the Platt anJ ~hct.k On the ammals ' fi•. mein r c (found two dogs this ume, ner U V ing ther had water, one water bowl was n Hon •vc r dry and dusty, the other dog had no 1 ~t.' 1 Ken n water bowl btr c , I as of I nouccd that a dry board set ured ' 1 in t I to the gate had a tncssage rcgardtng ~ r ~ hehc e he t a one of the dog+, a German shep- n ~ ~ I Du h t u I my herd He had barn picked up the I~~~` ~ A loco > ere w• fare day before Apparently the poor I u u? ms thing had gone without water (or I whi rcc, 24 hours I with' ~he er 1 have only visited the place 1?"'i ~ Juu O Mr Tr man twtc.e, and on both acastons, I ' I(+',( ~ ~ dn~ {red the liana have found that the ammals are left ~ ~ + ~ ~ an tding thirsty, then I must conclude that t% ; A~ ~IY /~'~'}11 ~ W Ifice, this is the way they normally opcr- F1u11_!AY~ ~ V' 'n ;U f' a rrgr tun ate this slither On bah occasions 1 i J ~Sf Th(~ c s we gave the ammals whatever water I r ~ I) 1 cx ct fr had with me be~uuse unlike m 'h`~~- _,}~'nvJ~ I I T I t ,who rc nts a Kcaau, they don't have any water I v , , ne a ce t m - source available to people drop- I n I In ty mt 'his ping off ammals i. Itr tr Ir per- Why can't they provttk water for ' ~ lu r v m w the ammals They do tt at the up11 IJ _ Kcaau shelter and tl seems like t t e, such a lutle thing to do reyanng he is of u u my (uet a little effort giant hil be 1 can onl assume that ctther_ ~ well aho or there is no aroun unn hot Shame, shame, Or ] am al fault t av wcc ten r. w cn avc wsu- G__ ~I r. ed, or that the pcnon u tresn't L 1~ na care. Fix the problems I for one JcpcnJ on the Humane Society a lot Several times I have E at the shelters found abandoned or lost dogs on ` Editor: my properly and taken them to the On Nov 29 I wrnt Ir. the pollee Kettau Shelter, where I am sure t~ station m ~1'atmca and Ii1cJ a win- they care for the ammals anal they , plaint against the WaimcJ animal are reclaimed by their owners. ~ shelter fur i.ruclty to ammals adopted or euthamrcd 1 This was the second ume to three I have pets of my own, and if t months that l lied vtvttcd the shcl- they arc ever IOSt, I count on some- t Icr On hulk t>Lcasu>ns I found Ihat one to take them w a shelter where the nmmal+ hrlJ m the m~tJl boxc+ they wdl be looked afar anal 1 - the do+~-all feuhuc+ -had hcen show up {clt Inr a prolnnptJ p.•nod wttl~~ml ft ,cans that the W'aimca +hJlu water is the cucpuon to an otherwise i The fini Inns wa+ tin S~pl 7 I g°~ system, bat n u also ubwou+ IuunJ a dog while hdmg t+rhntJ that nenhcr the czcwuvc dircuur our her stall Jr~ um ~ to lix Utc I H`~Jtllll.l Whin 1 winl w diop oil g b I the emm,il dt the +hcltcr, 1 Inund ptohlem t chat none ul the anon il+, lour Jags 1 appeal to rnhcn that have had a I Jnd three t.d+, hat any water By similar expencnce wnh the the lOOkv o! their howls, and the Waimea slither to call the Humane ~ way they Jrank when 1 gave them Society or file a police complaint water, they had gone thirsty for like 1 Jtd ywtc a wlnle The lolluwmg day I We can al+o hccp an eye on the , WIICJ the ill I it t' OI L1+J I'UM Icr, lhC place, and pay visas, specially dur- czewtivc dua wr ul thr Humane mg holidays and Sundays to see i( Sticirty ttte antrtials arc fine Let's lix the I Eat t return ~.dl In~m the pnthkm Kcaau ~ht hrr Jnd wa, utlJ dtcy Grcg Ftvlan .vin in JtJre~ of .ill Inc +hGtrry 1 NinOle ~ ~ ~b - ocAr o-~+e.sz. -~-p a~po~- -~~,.e.. c~c,~ s o~ o~C' w~,v~e.. Soe.~-e. She.1~-c.~s, c,~.v,a ~ sv~c.~re. w,c,l ~i(~,~'~ev~e.e -~-~nc~l- Inas l ~1- w,.~ 1 ~ ~-~-h Co ~c,a~r ~s r -~-t~rc, c~~n 1 w~1s ~V1ls 1 S -~-4/l2 C~-rlVlh-hb?l O-~ w'v~L.y~,Q.~' hC.I.C~ lvL l.~l/IGt~ C~~re, cov~'?dutd -~.e~ 1~s~- o-~ ~c,~l'?}~es ~ ~v~~~~l. ~ K~ rr:1. , T-e- ~ •-r~ ?'~cr~: ~ ~.,~1 r..e_-~C - Z c~l~.ocu:~s ~..~~oc -key. -~-t~2. ~-au,MO~ ~,~ce.~ ova O~?c..~ 9~~L ~vtc~ lslc~v?fcL, r l~?i-~ `~T~-r~c~i ~ Vltc~( ShovX~~v1. ~i'1~s, 0.-i- ~-1iLsL ~ 1 ?lC~l~lGt.~,~, CLc.f2.., ~~-b-- V~~ ~-Vc~s1~ d~c-~s~ lea- ~ ~..~s~p~;tom . The~z ~r~ tv~l~~, -~-Ol~ ~c~ t(C~id2dl-~, ~w~c~.l1 ~~v~ rc~.w~o~6 ~~r w~~ old., . t~~ i -~-YUR l..~e~l l vv~c~ e~jC~e,(~c.~~ I ~ rc,~ z~ -~-tie.. 6~.t-mss ~e_.. ~ ~J'~-~-~,,'n~,~sz, ~oc~~'~`'~ ?l~ -1-t~e,w, -~-1~e_ ? v~o r wi~-F- o rt g., leech o ~ , ~.,~?~1F,?e ~ ~ ~ da ~ -1:,vta~~ v? ~,z. I~oc..~~r.3 ~-t~. d o.~ . "~Cf~ roc.,~c,~ h o~~ ~-In~. ~ ~ , Ccf.l l.e~ g-e2. ? Ja.v~.e~ ~.~.b(-~ ea.w~.e. ~ ~ ~ . ~1d , S-~~ ~c-o~ • ~Gi -~~2~t/11 v1. ~ ci.-ZG ~C~ ~ 5~-~. ~ -'c- C~u-l~. ~OCcL-r2~ ~c~?1.L,(~ . l..~e.,ll ~~~oo~v~.2s~. do 1nQ.d ha~2' ~ vv?2.6?\2_. lo~<<~ -~o( Vi1w1. ~c-c~ ~ c? -pr,t~.1 ~1, ~ -~-he. ~ -1; U~e,}~ v~o a ~ ~ cr.~.t 1e oc,ovl.e~( ~-d. w~.e.~~ ? ~ ~-VISZ. d. cur . -~-.ca~(5 0~ ~o~ , ~-e, Sln0.r~c~. o~ ~~I.P.VI~SL ~'?-~-h 4-~.~--~',~_~~-?.e-~~ 1noc.J looms e-~1 ~d v~c~-~-~n t?~t. ~.OC~ ~?~d~. "Ch aco?~e.~ c~,t l.~~i. ~2v1 • \ V ~0~`"~ 1 w ~1r}~(~ --~~2.. CFiKLi~1 'C!l-S Ot~ cc.~c~ 0.t~1 ~ v~a~C ~vu_( ~.v~~t er cis c.~v~ d o ~~e-( , ,~cl,~ ~ r -~-~l.oc..~~h vvtic.~ .e~Cpe-~~e.v~,~-~, ~~S cw.~. v~~~'1 ~ c~e~.y c~,~d V~.~~ ' i~ 1~. rc..w~ ~,e~edS b -1-~~e.~~(~ ~ v?1c~.?~a `~e,,wie,~t-1- off' ~~e..~~rs C,L~ l b ~ -a-~~ ~ v~~1c..t.wtcw~ S ~aea v.~ --1 \ , - `~--~P P 5 ~d~~ February 12, 2001 Harry Kim, Hawaii Mayor 25Aupuni St, l7m 215 Hilo, Hawaii 96720 3`our honorable Mayor, Mr. Kim, I would like to bring to your attention the situation at the Waimea/Kamuela Humane Society. When I visited there the beginning of this month I mas shocked by what 1 observed. It seems there rs a lack of everything -meaning the animals seem to be lacking irr almost every aspect of care. They were without water, They were without food. And they were without anyone to tend to them during the business hours. 1 did not go into the facility, I just saw from the outside -only the dogs. It's probably a good thing I did not see the other animals on the inside. What !witnessed was not honorable at all. - - I'm not one for pointing fingers. I just want it so that the animals have the care they deserve, which is nothing short of good care. As all living things deserve respect, so do these animals. Fos the sake olthe animals, please do something to generate a more caring facility and staA: The animals can not take care of themselue, it's up to us to ossist them and look after them. There are some questions I have concerning where the money is going to take care of these facilities. I understand the facility in Hilo is much better oA; but that's because it's ouiried/managed by Elie IGatii~e Flawatfans,~is-that correcf.~ What - - percentage of the Humane Society budget goes to the Hilo facrlity? What percentage goes to thelfafluaXona facflitg and~hat perrentage goes to the Waimea/Ifamuela facrlity? I realize each one has there own situation -whereas, maybe the Waimea/Kamuela facility is smaller, therefore receives a smaller piece of the pie. I'm still Interested in finding thatout. Who manages/avarsees-all of these facilities? My tendency is to go straight to the top to get the answers I need, so that's why I'm sending thts to you. Thank you for your time and effort on behalf of the animal welfare olthis fair and beautihrl island) Cordrally ~~~~0~ 4 v~.J LelVore Ednie PO Box 389729 Waikoloa, HI96738 a , ~r~~~~ w ~ ~u~~~ r- w~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ a e, r~.,~.~ ° ~ ,P~ fix, q~G~..--,~,.~ ~ (~,..~.1 6 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ _ Gl~x cQ f ~ Chris Gaughan P O. Box 385203 Waikoloa, HI 96738 February 15, 2001 Mayor Harty Kim 25 Aupuni Street Kilo, HI 96720 Honorable Mayor Harry Kun, T1us letter is to address the deplorable conditions I observed at the Hawaii Island Humane Society facihty in Kamuela I visited the facility in mid-January ated found the sheher cages disgustingly slthy I am bringing this to your attention so that demands can be place upon whomever necessary, that the animals which are in a partially tax-supported facility have better care I observed the dogs in outdoor kennels, standing and lying in urine and feces It was obvious that the cages had not been cleaned in at least a day, perhaps much longer Upon approaching the door leading imo the building that houses the cats, the stench was horrible My husband accompanied my on this trip to the shelter, end he refused to even enter the buildu?g because the smell was so bad Once inside, I saw that the cats were as neglected as the dogs The cats were in their own excrement, end the stink was overpowering One kitten was in a shared cage, and it had infected eyes that were almost shut, wtuch can lead to blindness And, the other kitten that was in the same cage was m potential jeopardy of catching a contagrous condition My purpose u? writing this letter is to dacumer?t that the shelter is not taking proper care of the animals There is no excuse for the animals to be so neglected Upon speaking to Humane Society staff on numerous occasions, I've been told that them is a stafftr?g shortage Sometunes the Kamuela staff person who is normally assigned to the dvect care of the sheltered anunals cs gone from the facihties doing duties in outlying areas Meanwhile, the animals are left uncared-for If there is a temporary shortage of staff at the facility, then another facility should send adequate personnel If under staffing ~s a permanent problem at the Kamuela shelter, then the problem needs to be rmmed~ately corrected Our tax dollars should insure that the animals have basic care, every single dav~ At a minimum, this includes daily food, ever-present fresh water, and clean facilities Any less is a failure to meet the requirements for the humane treatment of enunals There is no acceptable reason for faihue to maintain the Kamuela shelter at least a minimum level StnCcerely, Chns Gau~ghen~~~ ~ ~.~p z~~~~~ ~ y~tl~ ~3 ~j~ v. 3 a aira~Y~1 de ~5is;~~~~~ ~~j~~ye ~,,v{,~~~3''~,~i~ 1a1,, ti i 7~ 3 ~ ~ ~~y 3 ~