Feral cats
Feral cats
A good intention but an impractical idea
In response to Ursula Ekern’s letter about taxoplasma gondii, (yes it is spelled with a ‘g,’ not a ‘c’), it is true that cat feces can carry it.
As she touched on, it can also be carried in meat of animals. Some carriers: pigs, sheep, goats, free-ranging poultry, birds, rabbits, dogs, horses, rodents, and even cockroaches. We obviously cannot rid the island of all of these.
Feral cats, however, help keep the rat, mice, and cockroach populations in check. When I moved into the house I currently live in, we were overrun with cockroaches and rats. Thoroughly cleaning absolutely everything did nothing to cut down on the population. However, within weeks, the cats successfully cleared the house and immediate surrounding area of all. Yes, I feed feral cats that I consider mine, even though I cannot touch them. They do an invaluable job and I repay them with food.
They have all been medically checked and neutered by Advocats. Advocats does an amazing job of neutering our island’s feral cats. Notice the notch out of the tip of one ear. That shows they have been fixed and checked by advocates. You will find most at the airport park have notched ears.
To Ursula: what would you do with all the cats? Kill them and then be over-run with rats? We cannot even rid the island of mongoose. How would we get rid of the cats? Fences don’t keep cats out, so even if you only wanted to rid the airport park, it would be impossible.
“Disallow cats in public parks?” Cats won’t do what you tell them. How in the world can the Health Department possibly disallow cats in an area? Not possible. Good intention, but an impractical idea.
Cindy Whitehawk
Kukuiopae
Speeding tickets
Airport traffic ‘hazard’ for visitor industry provides experience
My wife and I recently travelled through the Kona International Airport.
I received a speeding ticket by the airport police officer when returning to pick up my wife from the rental car company. His ticket stated “lone vehicle.” I was driving at a speed I considered safe and did not see the posted limit.
Back to the airport two days later to pick up family, I saw the same officer writing another ticket.
Four days later, we returned to end our vacation and I went to drop off family first — yep, the same officer, different motorist.
After returning the rental car and catching the shuttle back to the terminal, the same officer writing a fourth ticket to a fourth motorist. What are the chances? I drove that section of road four times and either received a ticket or saw three other unsuspecting motorists receiving tickets.
Something is wrong here. The posted limit is obviously slower than most reasonable motorists would expect.
To the airport officer: Spread some aloha. Help us from the mainland slow down and transition more quickly to island speed. We were not meaning to disrespect your traffic laws, but the speed posted there caught us unaware.
Instead of spreading some aloha our way and starting a vacation with some friendly advice, you instead gave us another experience.
J.R. Galloway
Spokane, Wash.
Mauna Kea
Telescope protest is a statement of their true purpose
Yes, I dare to say the hybrids who populated this island have a debt to the navigators who followed the stars.
To use the very opportunity to further this human endeavor as a forum to grandstand their cause is a sad statement of their true purpose.
David Carlin
Captain Cook