 The Community Matters show me with Anna Nougat and my puppy is actually helping us out today. And that's totally appropriate because this is about the Hawaiian Humane Society. Hi, Anna. Thank you for being with me. Oh, thank you so much for having me. I really appreciate it. And it is perfect that your dog is in the background. Well, I cannot explain in English language how much I love my puppy. No. All day 24 by 7 experience for me. Life would not be worth living without her. Anyway, so this goes to what's happening with the Humane Society. I would like to cover it because it's a phenomenon. It's rooted in COVID. And it's important that everybody in the community understands all the vectors and all the things that play in your moving 600 animals from various Humane Society facilities in the state to the mainland. So that's big news. Can you talk about what is happening and how it is being accomplished? Absolutely. So this is a huge collaborative effort with greater good charities and wings of rescue alongside our Hawaii Island partners with Maui Humane, Kauai, Island and Lanai Cat Sanctuary and Kauai ASPCA. So large, large volume of animals, cats and dogs only mostly cats. As everyone knows here in Hawaii, we have an overpopulation of cats in particular. And so this is a direct result of COVID for this flight. And so what this collaboration is doing is aiming to relocate about 600 animals over to the mainland to shelters on the west coast. These are animals that have been at the various Humane Society facilities around the islands. Waiting adoption is that it. That is correct. Yeah. So kittens, cats and dogs that have been waiting for adoption and a lot of these agencies typically transfer to the mainland in routine times and due to COVID that has changed dramatically for many of us. So what's the normal process? It sounds like the normal process has been disrupted, disrupted by COVID and that brings you to have this large number of animals that you have got to deal with. Can you talk about that? Sure. So many of us utilize transfer partners on the mainland, specifically along the west coast, but in a couple of the other states as well, to relocate adoptable animals. We don't quite have in all times the resources locally for as many adoptable animals as exist in the shelters. And so we utilize as part of routine process areas of the country that have a much higher need for adoptable animals. And we have more supply than we have need here. And so a transfer program is very, very common across all shelters in the United States. And for us, it's a little unique because we can't just drive them over the state line, right? So we have to rely on air travel to get them to get them to where they need to go. This has happened before. I take it that you have transferred animals from Hawaii to the mainland before when you, I guess you run out of space for one reason or another. In this case, COVID has disrupted, you know, the ordinary adoption program here. And so you wind up with too many animals in the same space. And that's not humane, so you have to transfer them. But have you done this before? We've partnered with Hawaiian Airlines and Arizona Humane Society in the past to transfer animals from our shelter over to the mainland. And that's been so successful. And I know our other partner shelters in Hawaii have done the same thing and have many partnerships. And this is a very routine process for them as well. It's fabulous because what would happen if you could not do this? What would be, you know... So it impacts, yeah, so it impacts our ability to care for more animals out in the community. And so we're committed to the animals that come into us. And so these are animals that are waiting for adoption. And many of the shelters and just there's not always enough people to adopt them. And so for us, it impacts our ability to help support other animals out in the community, not necessarily the animals in our shelter, but the animals that are out in the community. And this will help open up space and allow us to do more work with our community and the animals locally. So how is the adoption process affected by COVID? People are reluctant to come down and adopt, let's say a baby, adopt a baby pet. Yeah, so it has to be my baby. Yes, definitely. And also for everyone, as everyone is well aware, our processes have changed because of COVID and our need for socially distant behavior, wearing masks, our vulnerable populations within our community, you know, our behaviors have changed across the board. And so we've had to adjust and adapt as an organization to help support the needs of the community. And so part of what we're doing now is our adoptions are by appointment. And so we and we're trying to really make sure that we're keeping everybody safe, not only our staff but our community members as well. And I think because more and more people are staying at home, the different stay at home orders we've had have impacted the number of people that we're seeing. And so we're really hoping that as things continue to change and we've been looking really good the last couple of weeks, if we continue to move into the next couple of tears, that things will change for everyone as well. But it impacts everybody in so many different ways and our adoptions have certainly felt the impact of that. It's been too bad because the animals suffer over it, you know, they need to love an infection. Absolutely. Rating is hard on them. Is it possible to do these adoptions online? Is it possible to have people, you know, look at pictures or movie clips of animals and make a choice? Or are they... Absolutely. Absolutely. So what we try to do now is when people make appointments we have a phone conversation with them and talk about what they're interested in. What kind of animal they're looking for, what might be a really good match for them and really try to match them up with an animal that we have. If by chance we don't have the perfect match for them at the time then we will continue to look for them and so we may find something for them the next day or it may take us a couple of weeks. But we're going to keep looking for them and hope to find that good match so we can get that animal in that forever home. And people can have that human animal bond that they're looking for. Sure. Oh, that's fabulous when you do that and it facilitates the whole process. It makes it so easy. Absolutely. Yeah, it's wonderful on both sides of the equation. So let's talk about how you organize a 600 animal transfer to the mainland. First of all, you have like half a dozen agencies that are involved in Hawaii and on the mainland. How does that all come together? That sounds like a lot of work. It is a tremendous amount of work and we're very, very grateful to our partners at Greater Good Charities and Wings of Rescue for helping facilitate this. And the logistics is a combination of everyone working together, determining what the needs are for the air, for the air travel, what the needs are for each individual animal and what the needs are at the receiving shelters and so working together on just supplies, right? Making sure that there's constant communication so our teams are having meetings weekly, sometimes multiple times a week to make sure everything's in order and everyone has what they need. And then coordinating with either our veterinarians or some of our partners, local veterinarians to make sure the animals have their health exams and have their health certificates prior to travel is really critical. Oh sure, because travel and applying in a crate for any length of time is going to be hard on the animals. Yeah, you put more than one in a crate or is it only one in a crate? It's only one in a crate. We want to make sure they're comfortable and in a long flight like that, you know, sometimes messes can be made so we want to make sure that animals are comfortable. So what do you give them in the crate to keep them comfortable? Yeah, so we can't do a whole lot, you know, as much as we would love to, but everybody will have water or a frozen bucket of water and a nice blanket that they can't get tangled up in but something that's pretty flat but comfortable. So pretty plain in there but they'll have exactly what they need for that flight and any litters of kittens that are going will go together and so there won't be itty-bitty kittens by themselves but litters of kittens will fly together so that'll be nice comfort for them. Yes, and what about, let's see, food? You leave them water and I know that's above ice. It gives a real treat but what about what kind of food? You give them appropriate food and they have a supply that will last for as long as it takes. So they'll have food before they travel and then they won't have food within their crate again to help reduce the level of mess that might be made in there but then as soon as they arrive, they'll be taken care of immediately by the team that's on their ground waiting to receive them so they'll make sure they get fed very, very quickly. Yeah, and you can't prevent them from moving it, right? No, we can't, right? They are dogs and cats, yeah, that's going to be part of the process, and everybody's aware of that. Excuse me? There was a question from a viewer. So the question is, my daughter is a dog rescuer and she posts many dogs and cats that need fostering. Do you have a Facebook page so that we can be more aware of the inventory and would like to be able to see what's available? So our website contains all of the animals that are available for adoption and that would be, I would definitely point people to check out our website at whinehumane.org. Okay, and you have just one more question. A question is, a viewer asks, is anyone afraid of getting COVID from the dogs and cats at your humane society? No, we've actually been paying attention to the research and the national conversations that are happening there, and we're not concerned about anyone getting COVID. At this point, there have been no active infections of COVID-19 that have been transmitted from pets to humans, but we're paying really close attention to that. We do know that there have been instances of animals contracting COVID, or at least testing positive for it. But we've not seen any examples of humans receiving it from their pets, but we are keeping a close eye on it. But at this point, we're not concerned about that at all. That's a great question. Thank you. Well, how do you know that a human animal has contracted COVID? There would be testing. We haven't had to test any animals here. We've been pretty fortunate, but there are laboratory tests that can be done that can determine that. So if someone is concerned about that, that couldn't happen. One of the resources that we're providing during this time right now is for people that perhaps don't have a family member or friend close by, and they contract COVID-19 and have to be hospitalized. We're able to hold their animal for them, and we're going to, we quarantine them for 14 days, just in case, kind of monitor for any signs and symptoms. Just again, a precautionary measure to keep the animals and people safe during this time. So sometimes animals, you know, in airplanes, they get nervous, they get nervous with the vibration, with the sound of the engines and the like. Yeah. So do you ever give them a tranquilizer of any kind to keep their nerves in? We don't. And that's for a couple of reasons. And so many of the airlines won't allow that because there's not monitoring that's happening. And every animal responds differently to those types of medications. And without active monitoring, and particularly for that number of animals, that wouldn't be a safe practice for us to do. And so we're trying to look for animals that are really likely to be as comfortable as possible with that process. A plane flight for any animal is scary, but there are some that are going to do better than others. And certainly younger animals will do a little bit better. Animals that are not fearful will typically do a little bit better. So we're trying to find animals that meet that criteria. But that's a great question. So I wonder if the parameters here, I mean, you've indicated that, you know, young litter of kittens would be fine. That's very young. What about older animals? What about it sounds like COVID? What about older animals with vulnerabilities and co-orbidities and existing health care issues? Yeah. Do you make selections that way? We do. So we want to make sure that we're putting the animals best interest at heart. And so we're really looking for animals that don't have, as you mentioned, don't have co-orbidities where air travel would put them in jeopardy. And so, you know, these are typically going to be animals under the age of five, you know, definitely no concerns with heart disease, lung disease, things of that nature. You know, an animal may have had a surgery to remove an injured limb, something like that. That would be okay. You know, maybe removed a mass. But for the most part, no major health concerns because of the air travel. You know, some people really love rescue animals that they, I don't know, it's sort of an altruistic kind of a feeling. If they would prefer to take an animal that's been through a hard time than an animal that's not been through a hard time. And so I'm wondering, you know, what happens on the other side? What happens when these animals arrive on the mainland? What happens when they are, you know, again up for adoption in various main society type facilities? Absolutely. That's a great question, Jay. And the partners that are on at the mainland in a couple of the different states have already been soliciting adopters for these animals. And in many cases, some of the animals that are on the trip already have homes lined up, which is phenomenal. And so we anticipate that all of the animals from this transfer project will be in homes within about two days at most. So they're working really hard on their end to line up new homes for the animals right away. Excuse me. You have another question from a viewer is, can I make a request of an ideal dog that I want to adopt? Do you have this service? We do have that service. And if they would like to email info at Hawaiianhumane.org, they will get them in touch with an adoption representative for that. Great. My goodness. And so when is this trip planned? Great question. It's going to happen at October 28 and 29. And so getting everybody ready really over the next week to make that trip. So this person who asked this question may want to adopt a pet that is potentially on the plane, going on the plane. So maybe this person can adopt an animal that would otherwise be transferred to the mainland. Is that possible? Yeah, that would be great. The more adopters we have, the better off we are. Absolutely. People do bond up with animals. My observation at the Humane Society is that the bond up starts almost immediate. As soon as you look the animal in the eye, you're smitten. And I write about that or is it just me? No, that happens to me too. So it happens to a lot of us, right? We make that connection almost instantly. And in some cases, before we even meet the animal, when we're looking at a video of the animal online or we're looking at their picture online, there's something about that animal that is connecting us to them, is drawing us to them where we want to say, I want to know more about you. Or in some cases, you're my dog. I'm coming to get you. And so I always love hearing those stories when people share with me that they knew the first moment they saw that that was their new family member, which it's wonderful. Yeah, and it sticks to the life. Yes, absolutely. I was going to ask you when it gets, we talked before about what happens when the animal gets to the mainland to another facility and is put up for adoption there. And whether it means anything to an adopted person or family, as the animal came from Hawaii, do we have a special cachet in terms of the animals we transferred to the mainland? I think so. Everybody loves a Hawaiian animal. So I think there's a little self marketing in place with any animal that comes from Hawaii. So we're fortunate and the animals are fortunate that, again, their homes are typically lined up before they get there. Will you travel on the plane? Well, I'm not scheduled to go this round. Nope. Can you talk with these various humane societies on the mainland to see how these animals are doing? Absolutely. So what we hope to hear back are some great adoption stories that we can all share just to celebrate the success for everyone. But yes, we're absolutely going to be keeping in touch and seeing how things are going and seeing if this is something that we can all do again at some point. Will we hear about those stories? I mean, can you and I have another discussion? You can tell me about some of those stories. Absolutely. And I hopefully will get some great pictures to go along with that. So we'd love to share those. You know, it's a great story. It's a story of caring. It's a story of special Hawaii story. It's a story of COVID, obviously, because COVID generates the need for this. But, you know, I just, I just wonder if we, if you have a sense of loss in terms of, you know, these are animals that would ordinarily be adopted out here in Hawaii. But we can't. And the things get in the way and we live in difficult, so difficult times. And so we have to send them away. This is a kind of, it's a kind of loss there, isn't it? I think so. But I like to think of it as an opportunity for us to be able to step up and help more within our community. And with having this support allows us to do more. And so I really truly think of it as an opportunity, not only for us, but for the animals as well, and that we're going to be able to support more animals locally with these support efforts from other groups. So we are really appreciative of that. So that does bring me to the question of the cost of this, the cost of flying them, the cost of preparing them, of examining them, the cost of placing them. So that must be a, with 600 animals, that must be a real issue. Can you tell me about the economics here and who helps to fund the expenses that are involved? Absolutely. So we are very blessed to be partnering with Greater Good Charities on this as they're funding this effort. And we could not do it without them. And so with the support of Greater Good Charities, the animals, the 600 animals from the multiple shelters are able to benefit from this. And the shelters on the mainland are able to support this as well. And so there are costs associated with this. But because of the generosity of people in all communities and Greater Good Charities, we're able to do this together. Is it cost money or does somebody offering the child a flight for free? So it's costing Greater Good Charities money, but they're working with that. And again, it's through private individuals that help support this effort to get these costs taken care of. Because it is a significant cost to move 600 animals from Hawaii to the mainland. If I wanted to help you out, make a contribution that would fund this kind of operation, which is, you know, it's a lot of work, a lot of hard work. How would I do that? Yes. That's a great question. So if you're looking to help support Hawaiian Humane Society, please go to our website at Hawaiianhumane.org. We accept donations there. You can drop by a check-in person at our campus or feel free to give us a call. But again, our website is going to be the best way to show your support. Again, Hawaiianhumane.org. And if you're looking to support the broader efforts through Greater Good Charities, you can go to greatergood.org and they can help facilitate that. And if I wanted to adopt a pet, I would go, as you mentioned earlier, the same website, I would go. Absolutely. I would put my expectations in that you could either find somebody, I mean a person, a dog, or a cat. And match the other. Yeah, so if you did find what you were looking for initially, we could definitely do that. But am I right to think, Anna, that in Hawaii, in Hawaii, you know, we can complain about this and that, but in Hawaii, people are aloha, they have big hearts. Absolutely. And I wonder if, you know, in your experience, Hawaii has a special place for pets, maybe that other places made up not to the same degree, am I right? Yeah, I think there is a tremendous support for the animals in our community and there is a tremendous spirit here. And people care so greatly. And, you know, I see dogs in particular, you know, people have their dogs in the grocery store with them or going on walks multiple times a day. You know, our dogs are a part of our lives and I see a tremendous number of dogs out with their people every day. And I'm so, so grateful for that. And again, seeing cats going into homes. I know we have a lot of cats on our landscape, but cats are part of our families as well. And knowing all the people that adopt the cats and provide homes for them is just, is really heartwarming. They are a part of our family. Excuse me, you have a question from a viewer. They ask, are you only shipping cats and dogs to the mainland, or are you shipping any other animals? I know Humane Society offers turtles sometimes. Great question. It is only cats and dogs. Okay, fair enough. It's a question of how big the animal is too, is it? You only have so much space. Right, exactly. So I was going to ask, you know, so if indeed people in Hawaii care a lot about animals that they do, I mean, I, you know, in my neighborhood, everybody has an animal or a whole household of animals. Where does the Humane Society fit? I mean, what is the future of it? What is its place in the community? Yeah, so I think really looking at what the community needs are, we know we have a cat overpopulation problem within our community and so focusing there. But what our role is as we continue to grow and develop is to really be that community resource that people can call us and ask us questions. We can help facilitate solutions to different animal welfare concerns or issues, facilitate, you know, reunifications if you have lost your pet, facilitate bringing a new family member into your life. But really being a pet resource for the community and being the go-to place when people have questions or they're not sure what to do, really looking forward to what that looks like for the future. And again, working alongside our community as our community grows and changes, we need to grow and change along with them. Absolutely. Are you also charged with dealing with animal abuse in Hawaii? In Anahu, we are, yes. And so that's part of our role with the city and county. We hold that contract and so we are charged with really overseeing the abuse, cruelty and neglect that occurs. And so our animal and our field service officers are out in the field every day helping support those needs. Is there abuse? There is. There is. Sometimes it's neglect. Oftentimes it's overt cruelty and abuse. But we do see that. And again, working on it in multiple different ways. So with each case as well as bigger picture with legislation and things like that. You know, I was actually thinking about this and it's hard to envision it, but I heard recently that there are dogs, maybe a lot of dogs, who lick the hand of someone who was beating it. Yeah, which is kind of a statement of the relationship of dogs and people. Lick the hand of the person. And that is so touching to know that. Dogs play, I'm more familiar with dogs and cats. Dogs play an incredible role in dealing with us and in allowing us to deal with them. Those way back thousands, tens of thousands of years. Absolutely, absolutely. And they are so forgiving of our faults. And I think, you know, you see that in the therapy work that occurs with dogs and humans. There's so many amazing instances of animal assisted therapy where the animals really make a difference for us and change lives every single day. So you're absolutely right, Jay. Well, okay, I'm getting back to my, I'm getting back to my puppy now. I've abandoned her long enough I have to return for a smooth, smooth, smooth as they say. Thank you, Anna. And thank you so much for joining us and the good work you're doing. Oh, thank you so much. I really appreciate this opportunity. Thank you, Aloha.