2024-03-01 07:51:00
HAWAII KAI (HawaiiNewsNow) – There’s a colony of some 35 free-roaming cats in one part of Koko Head District Park. Unfortunately for them, someone has been targeting cats, with four cases of animal cruelty just in the last week.
“Two cats were shot and one was attacked by a dog, and another cat as shot in her spine and now she has persistent paralysis,” said animal advocate Stacey Fujii.
Fujii said one cat was found shot dead Wednesday morning near the BMX track at Koko Head District Park. Another was found shot in the head Wednesday night near one of the park’s baseball fields.
“In order for this cat to have been shot in the head, either you gotta be like an expert hunter, or the cat was friendly and would have had to look up at you. And they’re looking at you and they’re trusting you, and then you shoot them right in the head,” Fujii said.
Someone also spray painted the message, “Don’t feed the cats! Toxoplasmosis kills monk seals.” Toxoplasmosis is a parasite that reproduces in cats but can infect any warm-blooded animal. NOAA said the parasite has killed at least a dozen seals over the years.
However, the killing of the cats is still a concern, and a growing one.
“Fiscal year 2022, we saw regarding just over 4,800 calls, reports of animal cruelty that were brought to us, to the Hawaiian Humane Society. And this past fiscla year we saw just over 5,000,” Shimabukuro said.
The Hawaiian Humane Society has partnered with the city to run a low-cost spay and neuter program. Since 2018, more than 20,000 feral cats have been fixed, but at least check there were still an estimated 300,000 feral cats on Oahu.
Despite signs once morest feeding and abandoning animals posted at the Hawaii Kai Park and Ride — where another large cat colony lives — animal groups say people are still abandoning their pet cats and kittens, while others keep feeding them.
Fujii has also helped feed the cats, but it’s part of a strategy to help reduce the population.
“We gotta like lure them and kinda train them to eat here every time,” she said. “And then we starve them for one or two days, and they’ll run in that trap and we can get them home, or get them a home and get them fixed,.”
It’s unclear if fixing cats will fix the problems caused by free-roaming felines, although the cat caretakers say they are keeping them out of neighborhoods and are also monitoring whether diseases are present in the colony.
For now, police are on the lookout for people taking matters into their own hands.
“Animal CrimeStoppers is absolutely a resource if you want to submit anonymous tips. You can also submit reports of animal cruelty 24/7 at HawaiianHumane.org,” Shimabukuro said.
2024 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
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