HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0796.005 2000-2002
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Curtis Tyler
From: "Larry and Brenda Ford" <labford@turquoise.net>
To: "Nancy Pisicchio" <nancyinkona@yahoo.com>; "Gary Safarik" <g safari k@i nterpac. net>; "Curtis
Tyler" <ctyler@interpac.net>; "Aaron Chung" <achung@interpac.net>; "Julie & Bob Jacobsen"
<jacobs@hgea.org>
Sent: Friday, November 15, 2002 7:09 AM
Subject: Animal Control - Honeybees
November 15, 2002
Aloha Council Members,
I support the bill to revise the animal control law in Hawaii County. As the victim of a vicious dog attack who was saved
only due to the heroic efforts of a neighbor's dog, I especially support the portion of the new ordinance that disallows even
one bite before a dog is deemed vicious as well as the fines for the first offense and the increased amount of fines for repeated
offenses. After talking to.my. Veterinarian about the attack on me, he advised that he considered that dog to be vicious and
would recommend to the owner that such a dog be euthanized.
I would like to see in the ordinance that the Police Department is required to com lete the Vicious Dog-Notice to wn
form (HPD/REC-003 on an attack occurr ce. The Police Departments ould also be re uired o fQgraph said animal
anof a Animal Control Shelter and the Police should maintain copies of the pic res. Also, a,4qu,remPnr rn x hau ze
the animal if it is involved in an unprovoked attic tat me udes a bite. The Veterinarian who euthanizes the vicious animal
should be required to provide a p otograp to Anuna Control to verify that the correct animal has been euthanized.
Hopefully, the increase in fines may inspire the owner to euthanize the animal rather than keep a vicious animal.
Regarding honeybees - As a former beekeeper, I rec,a d thathoneybees be removed fropn the list of animals covered
by-this bill for several reasons.
1. Bees fly to where the nectar and pollen is being produced whether or not it is in their own yard. Honeybees may
travel from 2 to 8 miles from their hive (the structure in which the colony lives). A colony is the biologically related
bees within a hive. There is no way to determine that a particular bee is from the next-door neighbor's colony or from
a distant colony many miles away since they are all sisters and cousins to each other.
2. For their own safety, neither professional nor amateur beekeepers want to keep an aggressive colony of bees -
aggressive meaning more apt to sting or more apt to chase people or animals to sting. When a beekeeper becomes
aware that a particular colony is aggressive, the beekeeper will kill the existing queen in the hive and requeen with a
commercially-bred queen that was bred from stock that does not have aggressive characteristics. Unfortunately,
"wild" (meaning not kept domestically) colonies may harbor bees with aggressive natures. One cannot tell if the bee
is domestically kept or wild. No honeybee is ever "tame" (like a cat) even if kept domestically.
3. Mos_people cannot tell allow jacket(a wasp with similar coloring_and stripes from a honeybee and
frequently refer to yellow jackets as "bees". Wasps are never kept domestically and are usually more aggressive than
bees. A wasp may be able to bite as well as sting and is able to sting repeatedly because wasps do not have barbed
stingers like bees do. Wasps don't die after stinging like a bee does. Bees become "stuck" to the person or animal
they sting because they cannot dislodge their barbed stinger from the person or animal.
4. -it is u this ordinance when man most stipg,e from ~acasps. It is also
unreasonable to cite honeybees since no one can tell whether that bee was from a particular hive. Citing honeybees in
a this ordinance may cause people to accuse innocent beekeepers of harm when in fact the attack was from a wasp.
Brenda Ford
323-2323
Comm. No.
File No. X
Ref. To.
Ref. Date .
11/15/02