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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0731.009 2010-2012 Page 1 of 1 Murashige, Laura /cw . -731 FP/COUNCIL From: Inga Gibson [igibson @humanesociety.org] Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2012 12:41 PM To: counciltestimony @co.hawaii.hi.us Subject: HCC Testimony 6-6-12 Aerial Animal Eradication Attachments: HCC Testimony 6-6-12 Aerial Animal Control.pdf Aloha, Attached please find testimony regarding the proposed ordinance to prohibit aerial animal eradication for consideration by the Council tomorrow, 6-6-12. Please contact me with any questions. Thank you, Inga =_ Inga Gibson Hawaii State Director, State Affairs igibson(cr�humanesociety.org o 808-922-9910 c 808-354-3211 f 808-922-9911 The Humane Society of the United States P.O. Box 89131, Honolulu, HI 96830 humanesociety.org and www.humanesociety.org/hawaii The Humane Society of the United States is rated a 4-star charity(the highest possible)by Charity Navigator, approved by the Better Business Bureau for all 20 standards for charity accountability, voted by Guidestar's Philanthropedia experts as the#1 high-impact animal protection group, and named by Worth Magazine as one of the 10 most fiscally responsible charities. Join Our Email List Facebook Twitter Comm. No `731. 1 Ref. To: Ref. Date JUN 0 6 2012 6/5/2012 \ '1< THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES To: Honorable Chair Yagong and Council Members Hawaii County Council June 6th, 2012 From: Inga Gibson, Hawaii State Director, The Humane Society of the United States P.O.Box 89131, Honolulu, HI 96830, igibson(cihumanesociety.org or 922-9910 RE: Prohibition on Aerial Animal Eradication; Support with Suggested Amendments We thank Chair Yagong for introducing this important measure and for the Council's consideration of our supportive testimony with the below suggested amendments. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), representing more than 50,000 members and supporters across Hawaii, has long opposed aerial hunting. The HSUS believes that in the vast majority of situations aerial hunting is inefficient, ineffective and inhumane. Animals, especially herd animals exhibiting collective flight response behaviors,who are shot from aircraft are often non-mortally wounded and thus subjected to unnecessary and prolonged suffering. Furthermore, if death is not verified (most often performed during carcass retrieval) it is impossible to know how many animals may have simply been injured or wounded, only to ultimately die of infection, starvation, shock, blood loss or dehydration, days or even weeks after being initially shot. We acknowledge that there are limited occasions when aerial hunting, performed only by trained professionals for demonstrated public health or safety reasons, or for limited conservation purposes to protect threatened and endangered species in imminent harm, is arguable as a condition of last resort. There are many places throughout the islands where the terrain is inaccessible, the impacts to threatened and endangered plants and animals too severe, and the resources too limited for our conservation agencies to be able to use any other strategy to help conserve our treasured natural resources. Most importantly, we realize that in some circumstances other control methods employed, such as unattended snares or poisoning, would result in a far less humane death for the targeted animals. We also know that hunting alone does not solve the larger feral animal over-population problem. Accordingly, we urge the Council, rather than prohibiting all aerial control actions performed by trained professionals under current state and federal law, to require that the below protocols be adopted and implemented instead, to include written documentation available for public inspection, that demonstrates the following: • Where tolerance for an animal population exists, all non-lethal options must have been documented and exhausted prior to implementing lethal methods; • Any benefits sought must be realistic (achievability, e.g. method must achieve long-term desired results and not require similar, repeated actions); The methods to be employed must be able to achieve benefits (effectiveness, e.g. outcome of control must be quantifiable); • The approach must be targeted to the problem-causing individuals (specificity, e.g. only those targeted animals may be removed, measures to prevent non-target animal removal or disruption must be in place); • The methods used must be the most humane available (welfare priority, e.g. must ensure that target animals are removed quickly and efficiently to prevent unnecessary or prolonged suffering); • The consequences of actions must be amenable to evaluation (monitoring, e.g. results must be measureable and required for any future repeated removal actions); • The benefits achieved must be maintained(follow-up, e.g. all steps should be taken to prevent the need for future removals). In addition to the above, specifically as it relates to aerial control, require that; • It may only be conducted when the terrain poses a safety threat to humans and precludes more efficient ground control methods; • Death must be verified and documented; • Aerial control operations should not negatively impact the birthing, nesting and critical habitat of native wildlife • Stakeholders and the public should be given ample opportunity to comment and share their concerns, rather than be simply notified, as to proposed aerial control actions. Those agencies proposing such actions must demonstrate that the above criteria has been met and all protocols have been followed. In addition, it is important to note that The Humane Society of the United States actively opposes the introduction of new wild and feral animal populations, specifically deer, into areas such as on the Big Island. Time and again we have seen that it is the animal who ultimately suffers from such irresponsible introductions, as witnessed on Maui, Molokai and Lanai, where current deer populations cannot be effectively or efficiently controlled, thus increasing the chances of inhumane management methods. When there is no tolerance, socially or environmentally, for a species, nor the ability to humanely manage the population, all efforts must instead be made to prevent such new populations. Thank you again for your consideration of our testimony. Inga Gibson Hawaii State Director, State Affairs igibsonhumanesociety.orq o 808-922-9910 c 808-354-3211 f 808-922-9911