Your Views for October 27

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Animal ‘death camps’

Animal ‘death camps’

I would like to respond to the letter “Humane or inhumane?” by Tori Soares (Tribune-Herald, Your Views).

Tori, the Hawaii Island Humane Society actually has euthanized some 14,000 per year, for the past 30 years. That would be about 30 to 40 pets euthanized, every single day, month after month, year after year.

The Hawaii Island Humane Society has one of the worst euthanasia rates in the world, about 74 percent.

To put it into perspective, Los Angeles, with a population of more than 10 million, euthanizes fewer pets.

That’s right: A city of some 10 million people euthanizes fewer pets than an island of 180,000.

The county does not care, and the police department, both of which give the HIHS some $3 million of our tax dollars every single year, does not care about the euthanasia rate, which is why it continues.

Local no-kill (humane) animal shelters are trying to lower their euthanasia rate for them, since the HIHS directors are incapable of doing so. The county should pressure the Board of Directors to resign in disgrace.

Google “high euthanasia rates” and you find humane shelters fire bad directors and hire capable and humane directors.

That is how they lower their euthanasia rates.

Shame on everyone involved with the HIHS for your abandoned pet “death camps.”

Shame on you.

Dennis Chaquette

Kapaa

Public humiliation

What should also be included during sentencing of a criminal for a crime or crimes committed is some sort of public humiliation, like some states on the mainland do.

Crimes that really arouse the sensitivity of the general public — such as stealing a sick little girl’s donation jar of money used for her medical expense, stealing part of the King Kamehameha spear, stealing a temple bell from a place of worship or robbing an elderly or handicapped person — should include public humiliation, such as standing on a street corner with the convicted thief holding a sign reading what he or she was convicted for, including a photo of the convicted person in the newspaper.

Enough is enough!

Rick LaMontage

Hilo