Hawaii looks to make harsher penalties for dumping pets
STAR-ADVERTISER / FEBRUARY 2005
The bill would make deserting animals a petty misdemeanor with fines upto $1,000.
Alongside throngs of lounging tourists on Hawaii’s pristine beaches live other creatures that enjoy relaxing in the sun: feral cats. Thousands of the wild cats have made their homes in colonies across the state, and the growing population is causing concern.
In response, lawmakers are introducing a bill to crack down on animal abandonment. The bill would make deserting animals a petty misdemeanor with fines up to $1,000. If the animal suffers death or substantial bodily injury, the penalty would be increased to a misdemeanor with fines up to $2,000.
Thousands of unwanted pets are abandoned throughout the islands each year, which animal rights groups say could hurt Hawaii’s native wildlife.
“For those of us doing rescue, animal abandonment is a regular part of our lives,” said Alicia Maluafiti, president of Poi Dogs & Popoki, an animal rescue organization on Oahu.
Hawaii’s current law is one of the weakest in the nation, according to the Humane Society of the United States. Right now, people in Hawaii who dump their unwanted pets face a petty misdemeanor with a $50 fine. But in other states, animal abandonment is classified as a misdemeanor or even a felony, the organization said.
However, the most recent draft of the bill provided an exemption for animals released under a “population management program,” which means cats or dogs could be released if they’re spayed or neutered.
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The Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources opposed that part of the bill. Because there are so many feral cat colonies, pet owners may be more likely to abandon unwanted animals because they think someone else will care for their pet, said Suzanne Case, the department chair.
Supporters of the bill say Hawaii’s native species are also threatened by cats and dogs living in the wild. Nearly 28 percent of all threatened and endangered species in the U.S. are in Hawaii, according to the Department of Land and Natural Resources.
14 responses to “Hawaii looks to make harsher penalties for dumping pets”
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Breaks my heart…getting a pet (really a family member) is a Lifelong commitment.
I wish others would think long & hard before adopting.
How will they enforce this law?
Its not that difficult. Make it harder to buy pets, and more cost, and they will not discard something that is of value. A lot of this, including abuse, is because the animals are disposable cheap, and they should not be.
Unfortunately pets are cheap, and always will be. From family, friends and others, pets are discarded by the same people who leave trash on the road side.
stop please …just make a policy and enforce the offence ..do not waste energy and resources on these issues ..
Cat or dog stew……protein for the hungry?
My Dog (“Spartacus”) and my Cat (“Hyde”) resent your comment. Spartacus weighs 92lbs and stands 33″‘s and Hyde weighs 23lbs and is 30″‘s long, and together they are a formidable-team and force… ..”jus say’n”..
Releasing a pet into the aina is unconscionable, the damage to the indigenous plants and animals is only matched by the pain of abandonment for the pet. Regardless of the penalty, just don’t do it, but for some lolos , the penalty unfortunately is the only thing that works.
AMEN!
The only way to enforce this is to make it mandatory for all pets to be chipped. Since Hawaii can’t even enforce littering and dumping laws, this will also be just another waste of time and effort.
Just glad this article doesn’t demonize feral cats or those who care for them and take them in to get spayed and neutered–but goes after the real culprit–the scofflaws who abandon their pets.
Does letting your cat or dog out to roam the neighborhood to poop and cause damaging to other people’s property qualify under this bill?
Yes that is a problem in many neighborhoods. Cats should be kept in the house or none at all. Tired of picking up poop everyday when I have NO pets.
Great point. Why is it that cat owners are allowed to let their pets roam poop on someones property? Just wondering.