Maui Humane Society Takes on Animal Control Services

Photo by Jack Kiyonaga

By Jack Kiyonaga, Editor

For Molokai residents, the challenges of unreliable off-island transportation have affected not only human healthcare, but also veterinary care. Now, the Maui Humane Society has stepped in to fulfill some of that need as animal enforcement officers on Molokai.

“You will be seeing a lot of me on-island,” explained Moani Makaiwi, the first resource officer for Molokai as part of Maui Humane Society.

Right now, Maui Humane Society said that their focus will be only on dog control, due to budget constraints. As the head of animal enforcement, Makaiwi will work with a team to make sure that lost dogs are reunited with owners and humanely cared for.

To aid their efforts, the Maui Humane Society is renovating six new kennels on-island for dogs. However, they explained, the hope is that these kennels will be kept mostly empty, save for the cases when an owner cannot be found.

The goal, explained Makaiwi, is “pet retention,” with the expectation that pets will be reunited as quickly as possible with an owner.

Makaiwi hoped that her appointment to the position would help give residents a measure of comfort when it comes to animal enforcement.

“As a resource officer, a lot of what I do is education,” she explained. “The fact that I get to do this at home, where I was born and raised and give back to the community, it’s huge for me…as a resource officer to be able to build those relationships.”

The Maui Humane Society came over to Molokai on Feb. 7 to share information with the community about their new positions on-island at a meeting at the Mitchell Pauole Center. At the meeting, many Molokai community members had larger concerns relating to the difficult reality of trying to care for animals without an on-island veterinarian. Residents recounted tough moments with sick animals, exacerbated by Molokai’s transportation issues.

While Maui Humane Society will be doing animal enforcement, they will not be offering any veterinary services on Molokai.

“It’s the cost of living, the travel, and the inability to get visiting vets on and off island on a regular basis…and there is a nationwide vet shortage,” explained Nikki Russell, chief of operations for Maui Humane Society.

The Molokai Humane Society currently services many of Molokai’s animals’ needs, with the focus right now on spaying and neutering cats, as well as scheduling veterinary visits from off-island, explained Ho’ala Davis, executive director for Molokai Humane Society, at the Feb. 7 meeting.

Davis also explained that having increased animal enforcement by Maui Humane Society will help the Molokai Humane Society by creating “better pet accountability…and by empowering this community to do a better job.”

While Maui Humane Society will not be aiding in basic veterinary services like euthanasia or fixing animals, the goal is that they will continue to expand services and capabilities in the future.

“This is just the beginning of our relationship with Molokai,” explained CEO of Maui Humane Society Lisa Labrecque.