In a move away from “drop boxes,” the Maui Humane Society announced that it will be closing its overnight kennels effective April 1. Maui Human Society photo
Overnight receiving kennels for strays and owner-surrendered animals at The Maui Humane Society shelter in Puunene will be closed on April 1 in a decision made for “the welfare of the animals,” said the nonprofit organization’s chief executive officer.
The Humane Society said that after April 1, those animals must be brought into the shelter during normal business hours, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Saturday. In an emergency, Humane Society Enforcement may be reached at 877-3680, ext. 211 to pick up a stray animal.
Enforcement officers are accessible 24 hours a day, and arrangements can be made to have stray animals dropped off at the shelter or picked up by the officers “in the middle of the night” if need be, said Jerleen Bryant, CEO of the Humane Society, on Monday.
“We are not going to leave someone with an animal,” she said. “We are not going to say ‘we are not going to help.’
“I really want people to know that we made the decision for the welfare of the animals.”
Last year, 1,062 animals — 612 cats and 450 dogs — were dropped off at the Humane Society after hours with 676 animals, or 63 percent, turned in without any information. By requiring people turning in animals to make contact with the shelter or enforcement officers, the Humane Society will obtain important information about the animals, she said.
Any information, such as where the animal was found, could be useful in helping the agency reunite the animal with its owner, a Humane Society news release said Monday. With owner-surrendered animals, medical records and behavioral and personality details can help animals move through the admissions process more efficiently and help get them into an adoptive home faster.
Bryant said that some owners don’t really want to give up their animals but are forced to because they are unable to pay for food or medical care. The Humane Society may be able to offer support that could allow some owners to keep their animals, but this can only happen if staffers meet with owners.
“We want to assure everyone that this was not an impulsive or rash decision,” Bryant said. The management team, which loves animals, put a lot of thought into the decision, which ultimately is best for the animals, she said.
There has been some public grumbling about the closing, including an ipetition on social media. It said that sometimes people feel ashamed or guilty about giving up a pet and that the overnight cages give people finding strays while driving or walking through their neighborhoods a place to drop off animals in a safe environment with caregivers just hours away. The petitioners worry about animals being dumped on the side of the road or in forests.
Bryant acknowledged that “change can be difficult for a lot of people and it’s scary,” but she wanted residents to know that this decision was not intended “to take something away from the community.”
This was not an economic decision, Bryant said. With the probable increase in the number of after-hours calls and increased staff time to interview those turning in animals, the decision will likely cost the Humane Society more in resources and money, she said.
The shelter management weighed the pros and cons in making the decision, Bryant said, noting that there are some concerns. There could be people who tie up and abandon their animals at the Humane Society shelter, as they do now, Bryant conceded. “We will have to look at it,” she said.
In announcing the end of overnight kennels Monday, the Humane Society noted that the animal sheltering industry is moving away from “drop boxes.”
“We feel strongly about the work we do and the animals we help,” said Bryant in the news release. “Having a place for animals to be left in the middle of the night with no information, sometimes sick and injured, is not in the animal’s best interest.”
For more information, visit www.mauihumanesociety.org.
* Lee Imada can be reached at leeimada@mauinews.com.
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