 Hello, my name is Staff Sergeant Maurice Clark from the 36th Civil Engineer Squadron and I'm the NICIC of pest management here on Anderson Air Force Base. My mission as an Air Force pest manager is to prevent pests and disease vectors from adversely affecting military operations and the mission. We manage, evaluate and execute pest management techniques and associated pest management environmental compliance to help protect the health and safety of everyone on base. I want to address with all of you here on Anderson Air Force Base an issue that has been ongoing for quite some time now and that issue pertains to the stray and feral dogs seen here on the installation. The number of stray and feral dogs spotted on base has increased in recent times and we have been noticing individuals leaving out food and water for them on base. I want to stress the dangers of feeding these dogs here on Anderson Air Force Base and also the negative impact it can have for the residents who live on the installation, the hard working professionals and the mission. Now feeding a homeless dog may not sound like the worst thing but on an Air Force installation with operations going on 24-7 our main priority is the mission and having a safe work environment. When you are feeding a wild dog here on base you may not be aware that you are giving that animal the idea that whenever they need food they can count on you or others in the area to feed them whenever they are needed for a meal. Now how can this be dangerous for the base? Feral dogs can be very violent for the simple fact that they are in non-stop survival mode. Remember that these dogs have never been domesticated so although they may be furry and cute if they feel threatened in the slightest way they won't hesitate to lash out on you, your pets or even your children. And we have had cases in the past of people getting bit by wild dogs here on Anderson. Now let's say these dogs show up on base and their person isn't there to feed them. The animals don't know how to get food because they have been dependent on you all this while. The dog may start to wander around base and find itself somewhere like the airfield. The most flight related accidents actually occur on the runway due to hazards of runway incursions. Even a minor collision with obstacles on the runway can result in the loss of life and millions of damages. Yes, most airfields have barbed wire fences as a standard protection against animals and human intruders alike but this only solves the issue of things coming over the fence. A standard chain link fence topped off with barbed wire isn't enough for tunneling and burrowing animals. Could you imagine if one of our multi-million dollar aircraft is trying to take off and in the middle of its drive down the runway a dog boats out in front of it? It could pay a heavy toll and it could have been the dog that you constantly fed on a day-to-day basis. Our pest management team sets out traps monthly in order to reduce the population of wild canines here on base. On every trap you can find our direct number if help is needed. If you see a pest management trap set out please do not tamper with them. There are live traps set out to relocate the canines and tampering with our traps is tampering with government property. We do not want anyone to get hurt or injured because of their decisions to handle them. If you or your family are wanting to help the canines here in Guam please reach out the game for volunteer and fostering opportunities. Their number is 671-653-4246 because together we can make Anderson a safer place.