NAWILIWILI — The cuts proposed by Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. on the Kaua‘i Humane Society budget may affect the dead-animal pick-up service provided by the nonprofit. If that happens, many families who lose their furry members to road hits may never know the fate of their pets.
Currently, KHS officers pick up dead animals on streets and highways, and scan them to see if there is a microchip. If positive, the owners are informed. Dead animals are disposed of at the KHS facility in Puhi. If the humane society ceases to provide this service, the county would most likely assume the responsibility and dispose of the bodies in the landfill.
KHS Executive Director Dr. Becky Rhoades said Kaua‘i is the only island in which a humane society offers such a service. She said she trained Honolulu employees on how to use a microchip scanner on dead animals. The employees keep a log of scanned animals and provide a weekly report.
Rhoades said KHS picks up an average of 30 dead animals per month.
“We are asking that our funding be kept the same as it was in fiscal year 2010,” Rhoades told the Kaua‘i County Council during its budget review session Monday. “We can’t, at this point, accept a 5 percent decrease, which just causes our deficit to be even greater.”
If this proposed cut in the KHS budget takes effect, the nonprofit would lose over $32,000.
Adding yet another hardship on KHS, due to the economic downturn, dog-food company Nutro just pulled out of an agreement that provided free dog food for KHS since the mid-1990s, Rhoades said. This could represent a $30,000 loss if an alternative is not found, she said.
KHS is negotiating acquiring dog food at a discounted price, and Rhoades said the wonderful program provided by Nutro for so many years will never happen again.
KHS receives an average of 19 animals per day. Only about 0.5 percent of cats have a positive ID, as the majority of them are feral. About 80 percent of dogs are either reunited with their families or adopted.
Animals usually stay a week at the facility before being euthanized, according to Rhoades. But she also said some animals, depending on their behavior, may stay for several weeks.
Rhoades said KHS provides many services for the county, including responding to nuisance animals, enforcing leash laws, picking up stray animals, holding animals at the shelter and making them available for adoption, investigating dog bites, and providing emergency services for the community, among many others.
“You don’t see many partners like the humane societies in all of the islands providing these government-mandated services as well as law enforcement,” Rhoades said. “We give a really good bang for the buck.”
Councilman Derek Kawakami commended KHS for the many services provided, but said a 5 percent cut is consistent with what Carvalho has asked the other departments.
• Léo Azambuja, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or lazambuja@kauaipubco.com.
