HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

221

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2004

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

 

REQUESTING a STUDY on THE FEASIBILITY OF ESTABLISHING A DOG AND CAT FOOD donation system AND PROVIDing BASIC VETERINARY CARE, including VACCINATIONs AND SPAY/NEUTER SERVICES TO REDUCE THE FERAL DOG AND CAT POPULATIONS IN THE STATE.

 

 

WHEREAS, Mahatma Ghandi said that, "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated"; and

WHEREAS, abandoned and stray companion animals have become too common a sight on our streets and, having lived without human aid for so long, they are no longer responsive to human interaction; and

WHEREAS, the sight of these companion animals trying to survive after being abandoned is disturbing to most and presents a poor example not only for our children and visitors but for all of us who care about our environment and its inhabitants; and

WHEREAS, until recently, it was thought the only solution was to remove these animals, destroying the majority of them; and

WHEREAS, every year, between six million and eight million dogs and cats enter U.S. shelters, and some three million to four million of these animals are euthanized due to illness, injury, and the inability to find adoptive homes; and

WHEREAS, the development of an internationally recognized program referred to as "trap, neuter, release, and manage" has provided the incentive for numerous people to try to help stem this inhumane cycle, spending hundreds, and in some cases, thousands, of their own dollars to provide adequate food and veterinary care with an emphasis on spaying and neutering these animals to stop the population growth; and

WHEREAS, the Hawaiian Humane Society (HHS) supports these good Samaritans by providing free spay/neutering services and occasional food when available; and

WHEREAS, although these private citizens are doing the best they can, even with the help of HHS, the sheer number of feral animals in need of assistance outnumber the dollars available to, at a minimum, vaccinate and spay or neuter animals to control feral populations and to provide these animals with adequate nutrition; and

WHEREAS, providing some additional relief to these animal caretakers in the form of food donations and access to basic veterinary care to spay, neuter, and vaccinate feral animals, at little or no cost, will encourage these volunteer efforts and enable them to do more, benefiting all residents of Hawaii; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2004, the Senate concurring, that the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Land and Natural Resources work with the Hawaiian Humane Society to study the feasibility of establishing a dog and cat food donation system and a statewide veterinary system to provide good Samaritans access to basic veterinary care, including vaccination and spay/neuter services, to help curb and stop the growing feral cat and dog populations in the state; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the results of the study be submitted to the House of Representatives at least 20 days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2005; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Agriculture, the Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, and to the Executive Director of the Hawaiian Humane Society.

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title:

Requesting a study to look into the feasibility of establishing a pet food donation and veterinary system.