Team of HSUS Vets Coming to Waikoloa: Needed–Corral and Fenced Pasture

Do you have some fenced land near Waikoloa?

The Medical Associates of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is bringing in three volunteer veterinarians and two vetinary assistants to conduct a clinic neuter captured male donkeys. They will assist Dr. Brady Bergin for 5 days in February. Dr. Bergin with assistants, paniolos and ranchers plan to  capture 100-120 donkeys and have them in a holding area with a cattle corral in time for their visit. After the clinic, the donkeys will be available for adoption.

It is going to be a challenge to capture them because the rain (which is good news) allowed the donkeys to scatter out with more plentiful food and water.

The donkeys who are captured need food and water.  Money can be donated to the USHS to buy feed and other resources used to care for the donkeys. Volunteers are providing veterinary,  logistical and donkey-handling. Please donate money to the USHS Waikoloa donkey program, at www.humanesociety.org/hawaiidonkeys.

Also, see the "How to Help Page".

45 Attend Waikoloa Community Donkey Forum

Forty-five residents and neighbors attended a lively Donkey Forum at the Waikoloa Community Church November 17. There was lots of progress reported on humane management of the herds, to relieve the stress on donkeys, residents, and drivers.

First: see this video by Big Island Video News to catch the excitement!

Waimea Veterinarian Dr. Brady Bergin arrived straight from a full day of donkey duties, in his scrubs, to describe the current efforts to capture, castrate, and re-home donkeys. About 100 have been adopted to date. Dr. Bergin is working with a rancher above Waikoloa right now. Plans are to expand efforts in and around Waikoloa Village. Dr. Bergin and his amazing team are in the process of approving adoption applications in preparation for re-homing donekys.

Inga Gibson of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) had good news, as well. HSUS is providing financial support and soliciting donations for donkey. A search is under way for a secure rancing corral in our area to be used as a temporary holding site for the trapped donkeys. This would allow the gathering of a large number of donkeys so the HSUS Veterinary Medical Association can fly in a team to help Dr. Bergin castrate a larger numbers of males more efficiently. If you know of such a site, please call Aina Hou Animal Hospital at 989-6149.
People can donate via a restricted and dedicated account specifically at www.humanesociety.org/hawaiidonkeys.  Donors may also drop off a check at any Hawaii Island Humane Society (HIHS) shelters. (Kona, Waimea and Keaau.) Make checks payable HIHS, with a note on the check, “Waikoloa Donkeys”.

Click to download a donkey adoption application. We need adopters pre-approved, after large castration clinics, the donkeys can be quickly re-homed.

See the new "How to Help" page on this blog for many other needs.

HPD Community Policing Officer Paul Bugado asked attendees not to water donkeys in their yards, because it draws ever more donkeys into Waikoloa Village. Dr. Bergin and Inga confirmed the donkeys do have water sources available.

Anika Glass thanked HPD for its commitment to put up occasional electronic signage on Waikoloa Road. Mahalo also to Hawaii County Public Works for testing “Strieter-lites” near the 7 Mile Marker of Waikoloa Road. “Strieter-lites” may help mitigate the appearance of donkeys on Waikoloa Road. (See http://www.strieter-lite.com/)

Real progress is being made on humanely managing our Waikoloa donkeys and preventing any donkey crisis that might be in our future. Thank you for your continued patience and support.

KITV's Catherine Cruz Reports on Waikoloa Donkeys

A big mahalo to Catherine Cruz and her team from KITV who came over and taped and created a three-part show on our feral Waikoloa Donkeys. The three segments are linked below. I don't know how long they will remain posted by KITV.
Kris Kosa‐Correia, Waikoloa School Principal, is featured, along with the rancher who is working with us, Dr. Brady Bergin, and Inga Gibson, USHS. There is wonderful footage of the donkeys up close and accurate reporting. Take a look.

KITV Waikoloa Donkeys 1
KITV Waikoloa Donkeys 2
KITV Waikoloa Donkeys 3.

Waikoloa Donkey Community Forum November 17

Join Dr. Brady Bergin (Aina Hou Vet Hospital), Anika Glass (Malama Waikoloa Nightingales), Inga Gibson (The Humane Society of the United States), local animal protection organizations and concerned residents for a discussion and update on the Waikoloa Donkey herd and continuing plans for their humane management. Share your concerns and suggestions and learn how to get involved in compassionately and effectively managing these iconic Hawaii Island equines.

Things are really humming along, come learn the latest!

When: Wednesday, November 17^th, 6:30pm

Where: Waikoloa Community Church, 68-3625 Paniolo Avenue

Contact: Anika Glass at waikoloanightingale@gmail.com

Electronic Signage Approved!

We are on a roll here!

Police Chief Kubojiri has confirmed that the Hawaii County Police Department will put up occasional flashing signage on Waikoloa Road. In fact, friends of Malama Waikoloa Nightingales have reported seeing the sign already. Here is an earlier post on this subject.

The HPD have been responsive and very professional in meeting requests from South Kohala Traffic Safety Committee for increased reporting on donkey-on-the-road calls and electronic signage. Meanwhile, the Public Works folks will have the test of Streiter lites set up next month. Mahalo County of Hawaii.

HPD Now Reporting Donkey Statistics

Hawaii Police Department has responded to our request and started reporting  to the South Kohala Traffic Safety Committee calls about donkeys on the roadways and any accidents related to donkeys.

HPD is very responsive to your calls and takes action on them. They can't help serve you unless you report sightings of donkeys on or by the roadway.

See a Donkey on the Road? Call Police Dispatch 935-3311. Click for Details.

In July and August, there were a dozen calls for service relating to donkeys on Waikoloa Road. Details were provided. They were between the 6 and 9 Mile Markers. Sometimes officers were able to find the donkeys and round them up, protecting drivers and donkeys from potential accidents. Calls were made during both daylight and nighttime hours. But they were all morning or evening, not noon nor midnight.

There were no reports of accidents.

Our community policing officer is out there on the road trying to herd donkeys on our behalf, so MWN salutes his efforts!

"Don't be Cruel"

Here is the West Hawaii Humane Society's outstanding response to the recent article in the Star Advertiser, pointing out the treatment by DLNR and USDA of feral animals in Hawaii. Malama Waikoloa Nightingales, you, are the local community members to whom she refers. Headline is a link to original.

Don't be cruel to feral donkeys

For those aware of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources' cruel and wasteful aerial hunt of cattle in Hualalai last year, or the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Service's killing of thousands of animals in Hawaii each year, it's encouraging to see community members, veterinarians and the Humane Society working together to pursue humane and effective options to control the feral donkey population ("Donkey problems increasing," Star-Advertiser, Sept. 12).

Cruel, inefficient and archaic methods of control have no place in a compassionate society, especially when progressive, non-lethal means are available.

The Waikoloa donkeys were introduced by humans to serve humans -- we therefore have a responsibility to humanely manage their populations.

Ginger Towle
President, West Hawaii Humane Society