The recent sentencing statement by Judge Edward Kubo to Lanny Moore and his mother regarding cruelty to animals was obviously heartfelt and well- intentioned. I expect that his strong language was meant as a deterrent to others who, with good intentions or not, find themselves in a similar situation.

Still, the judge’s statement that the Moores tortured and treated the animals “worse than animals” demonstrates the wide disconnect between what the majority of people consider acceptable behavior of humans toward non-human animals. The companion animal industry is hugely profitable: special foods, treats, costumes, veterinary care, grooming and boarding contribute to $72 billion, as estimated by theamericanpetproducts.org.

While that may be good news for pampered pets, the truth is that there is uncontrolled breeding and limited affordable spay/neuter services in Hawaii. There also is a legislative refusal to commit to licensing breeders — which would provide a benefit to the state treasury through enforcement of GET and licensing fees — and to a ban on the import of intact dogs and cats, unless registered to a licensed breeder. These are logical actions that have been bruited about several times, but no one has stepped up to introduce legislation. There is no government control, but the taxpayers pay for the results of no action.

I would welcome the opportunity to show Judge Kubo how “animals” — not pets — are treated in Hawaii. He would have the opportunity to see how farmed animals live out their miserable lives on Oahu. Laying hens at the largest egg farm in Maili are confined to “battery cages” that do not allow the hens to stretch their wings. They are stacked in rows — feces are dropped from the upper level upon all the lower birds. The birds do not see the sun and are forced to inhale the ammonia throughout their miserable existence. Periodically, the barns are emptied — the hens are suffocated and sent to the landfill. The egg cartons show happy scenes, but they lie.

I would invite the judge to visit some of the local pig farms, where gerry-rigged gestation and farrowing crates force sows to live entirely in the dark; there are rape racks where they are impregnated; they are kept in gestation crates during the entirety of their pregnancy, and then moved to farrowing crates where they cannot turn over. Their piglets can nurse, but the mother-baby experience is not allowed; once the babies are weaned, the process continues, and that is the life of a sow.

Recently the state Board of Agriculture approved an unsecured loan of over $600,000 to a pig farmer who has rented a property for many years. She has no capital — no security and she has functioned with an unlined manure lagoon that should raise concerns about the water table. Animal Rights Hawai‘i opposed this at the board’s meeting; however, it was approved, with one board member scoffing, “it’s a pig farm.”

Farmed animals receive no protection under local or federal law — there is minimal inspection by USDA at licensed slaughterhouses, but conditions on farms receive no inspection and the animals have no protection.

There are many other animals suffering in Hawaii: captive marine mammals in vile swim-with programs, fish from our reefs captured for the aquarium industry, captive wild animals in our zoos, animals in university labs, subject to vivisection, and so-called invasive species murdered by poisons, snares, aerial killing by the state and the federal government.

Humans are animals. We should understand that non-human animals have as much a desire to survive and avoid pain and torture as we do. Please consider this: Compassion is currently not politically popular. I hope that we are better.

Cathy Goeggel is president of Animal Rights Hawai‘i.