Humane Society Wants Quarantine Station Land
HONOLULU — The Hawaiian Humane Society said it wants to take over the unused part of the state’s Animal Quarantine Station to develop a second animal shelter, and lawmakers said they are considering a bill that may make it happen.
KITV’s Denby Fawcett reported that the Hawaiian Humane Society has been trying for three years to set up a shelter in West Oahu.
It said with more people and their pets moving west it makes sense.
“The community would be able to come and utilize our services much more conveniently if we were more close to them,” Humane Society Executive Director Pamela Burns said.
The Humane Society said it wants to lease 5 acres that the AQS no longer needs.
With more lenient quarantine rules, only about 250 animals are at the quarantine station each day compared to nearly 1,700 when the station was more heavily used.
The Humane Society said if it can lease the Halawa acres, it would set up a dog park for animals to play in.
Leeward residents could come closer to home to find their lost pets.
The Humane Society said West Oahu residents would be more likely to adopt abandoned animals if they could be brought out to the Halawa facility, which is close to where they live.
The Humane Society said that when the state selects a renter for the unused quarantine acres, it hopes to be seriously considered.
“It is not just about money. It is looking at what the kind of service we would be able to bring to the community,” Burns said.