HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0561.014 2014-2016Pl PSMTO
Murashige, Laura
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From:
Viktoria Schroeder <victoriakschroeder@gmail.com>``T
Sent:
Tuesday, November 17, 2015 11:52 AM
To:
Council Testimony
Subject:
County Council Meeting on 2.1 Million Dollars to Hawaii's Pound
Dear Sir or Madam,
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My name is Victoria, and I'm almost sixteen years old. I go to Wilmington Friends School in Delaware, and I
own a dog and a horse, both of whom I love very much. Animal welfare is very important to me. Many animals
from the streets or from abused homes are very friendly and loving creatures, and are simply looking for a
chance to have a family. Environment issues are also important to me, especially when there's a threat like rats,
pigs, and other wild creatures destroying natural vegetation and wildlife. When I visited Hawaii, I thought it
was a beautiful and amazing place, but I noticed how many wild animals that weren't native to Hawaii were on
the streets. Some of the tours my family and I went on talked about how the non-native animals and plants were
destroying Hawaii. You have a chance to help change the issues that Hawaii is facing with the loss of native
life.
My aunt, who lives in Hawaii, posted on Facebook that the Hawaii Island Humane Society gets 2.1 million
dollars to run the pound, but about 10,000 of the 14,000 animals they rescue are put down. That's seems like a
ridiculous number to me. Some of the animals may not be adoptable, but nearly 75% of the animals being put
down seems a bit much. There must be a way to use the 2.1 million dollars to take care of these animals rather
then put the animals down and use the money for something else. If the euthanasia is used to keep down the
animal population, wouldn't it be easier and kinder to just spade and neuter the animals and then send them to
homes instead?
When I visited Hawaii last year, I noticed that there were a lot of stray animals around the Big Island, especially
cats. I read somewhere that one of the vets, Dr. Elizabeth Jose, doesn't accept the low cost spay/neuter vouchers
sold by the HIHS, even though she said that spaying and neutering the animals is vital for animal population
control, (supporting one of my above statements) and that most vets on the island accept the vouchers. If she
doesn't, what kind of message does that send to the other vets and Hawaii natives, and people outside of
Hawaii?
It is my hope that something will be done to help the huge number of animals that are put down in Hawaii for
no apparent reason. If the money can be used in a way to benefit the animals, and people and rescue vets start
spaying and neutering the animals, (even if they just get released back into the wild or escape) it can lessen the
"damage being done to Hawaii's natural wildlife as less young to the non-native animals are being born to
continue the damage. To sum up what I would love to see happen:
-I ask that the council makes it so that more animals are spayed and neutered so that less young are born with no
where to go and live, which would lessen the animals left on the streets.
-I ask that the council gets honest statistics from the HIHS, as well as have stricter rules, more detailed
inspections, and generally take a bigger interest in the well-being and care of the animals in the pound. I'm sure
that the council has many other things to do, but perhaps looking at what's happening in the pounds a little more
often and a little more detailed couldn't hurt or take up too much time? 8PU 1114
Wim: No:
Ref. To: ?$K� &
Ref.11 Date
-If the council gets a group of people to form an oversight committee, with people who genuinely care for the
animal's well-being, (especially representatives from the other animal organizations in Hawaii) then it will
lessen the work that needs to be done on the council's side in reference to keeping an eye on the HIHS.
-I also ask that the council takes steps to lower the kill rate, so that eventually the rescue can become 100%
acceptance and a 10% or less kill rate. I know that would be a very hard goal, but if that goal can be reached, it
will be better for the animals and make many people on the mainland and in Hawaii more happy.
Thank you very much for reading my note, and have a lovely afternoon!
Sincerely,
Victoria Schroeder