Resource management
Resource management
We should do better
The irony was not lost on this reader when two related articles appeared on the front page of the July 12 West Hawaii Today.
The first article reported on remarks made by DLNR Deputy Director Guy Kaulukukui making a case for additional funding to better manage our forested watershed.
The second article reported that Mayor Billy Kenoi had signed a bill crafted to prohibit aerial shooting, a tool used by the state to control feral animals that are trashing our native forest and endangering the unique plants and animals that depend on this critical habitat.
Fortunately, as noted in the second article, the state controls feral animals under a federal court order that trumps the county, making the mayor’s action largely symbolic.
Regrettably, this aerial shooting bill has further polarized the long-standing debate about game management in our watershed when it could have provided an opportunity to bridge that divide.
We could have worked together to craft a bill that would have ensured use of aerial shooting only when absolutely necessary.
We could have reached consensus on actions that would facilitate hunter access to remote forests.
We could have explored strategies to ensure more of the game taken in control projects will make it onto the tables of Big Island families.
We could have included language that would have avoided the unintended consequences of legislation driven more by emotion than a careful consideration of the facts.
Next time, we should do better.
Robert Shallenberger
Kona
Feline Felony
Hurt a cat, go to jail?
Let me be clear on this: Mr. Thompson would rather have the feral cat population be left alone, or else trapped and killed outright, and let the rat and mouse population also proliferate unchecked. The cats should be left to breed, and in-breed creating blind, deaf, crippled offspring in major numbers to die wherever they fall from starvation — or they should be fed just enough to trap them, gain their trust then execute them for no bigger crime than they are cats.
The feeders who Mr. Thompson is probably complaining about are probably members of a cat rescue group, such as AdvoCATS of Kona who have spayed and neutered more than 12,200 feral cats since their inception not that many years ago.
I have no doubt Mr. Thompson is not capable of even imagining how many unwanted feral cats births that organization has prevented by way of donations and volunteer workers.
Hilo and Waimea have similar groups. They do this to help the cats and to try to stop the cruelty Mr. Thompson seems to feel is necessary.
When cats are brought in for spay or neuter, they are also treated for fleas and mites, and any other medical necessity, given an inoculation, their ear is tipped for identification purposes and they are microchipped to identify their colony.
I have taken care of a controlled colony in my area; in nine years the number of healthy, well-fed, spayed and neutered cats has never exceeded 16. Left unchecked, the number for the county to deal with would be in the thousands by now and the carnage and cruelty unbelievable.
There is no rabies in Hawaii; Mr. Thompson should be aware of this, being the animal behavior expert that he portends to be.
If you are an animal lover, support your local cat or dog rescue spay and neuter group. They are doing a service not only for the animals, but for all who live in Hawaii.
It is clear to me that Mr. Thompson has some deep-seated hatred or fear of cats and possibly for other species, as well. He might do well with some professional help.
Feral cats come under the cruelty to animals statutes of the state of Hawaii, the same as a pet cat does. To shoot, poison or otherwise kill or maim a feral cat wilfully can be considered a felony.
People need to know that.
Joanne Young
Naalehu