KAILUA-KONA — A disconnect exists between the Hawaii Police Department and cattle ranchers in Ka‘u, who say during the past few years there has been a troubling and significant increase in the number of cows slain by unknown assailants for no apparent reason.
The most recent killing occurred earlier this month at the farm of Armando Rodriguez, where Ka‘u police Capt. Kenneth Quiocho said a cow was slain off Molino Road.
“Currently, there are no leads and the singular incident remains under investigation,” Quiocho said via email through HPD public information officer Alan Richmond. “… it’s classified as (a) cruelty to animals case since there were not parts of the cow removed following the shooting.”
Guy Galimba, a longtime cattle rancher in Naalehu, said last week that eight or nine of his cows were killed in the same fashion during the past year or so. Only twice was meat removed, and even then it was only small amounts.
He added several other ranchers he knows experienced similar problems. But Galimba’s reports don’t necessarily jibe with police filings.
“The district of Ka‘u has not had a crime spree associated with this isolated incident,” Quiocho wrote, adding that between January and November of this year, “there have been two reported animal cruelty cases, this being the third, and one theft of livestock case initiated.”
Galimba on Monday disputed the claim that there hasn’t been a rash of cattle killings.
“It’s a constant thing we’re battling,” he said. “Whether they’re shooting the cows or cutting the fences, it’s something we’re constantly having to deal with. I wouldn’t call it an isolated case.”
The disconnect appears to be that several ranchers, including Galimba, simply stopped reporting the crimes because they don’t think anything can or will be done.
Ricky Souza, who’s farmed and ranched all his life, said one of his cows was shot in the shoulder and left for dead last year. The animal eventually died.
“I told the cops about it, but they can’t do nothing about it,” he said. “They have to catch the person in the act.”
Souza’s sentiment was echoed by several other ranchers. The ranchers don’t blame police or accuse negligence. They simply think because of the nature of the crimes, there’s little cops can do.
Phil Becker has farmed and ranched in Naalehu nearly two decades, and while he hasn’t lost any cattle to random slayings, he said the trends he hears about from friends and neighbors are troubling.
“It has gotten worse, much worse, in I’d say the last three or four years,” Becker said. “I don’t know if it’s just for the fun of it or retaliation or what the purpose is.”
Jerry Benevides, another rancher who leases land throughout Naalehu, lost two cows to random shootings in the past year, including one within the past couple of months. He, too, said he hasn’t reported the incidents because he filed police reports in the past to no avail.
He said there’s one place HPD might start looking at more closely.
“It’s happening mostly on Kaalaiki Road,” Benevides said. “That road connects Naalehu to Pahala, and that’s pretty much how the outlaws and the poachers get back and forth.”
Souza said his cow was killed near that road.
Rodriguez, who reported the killing of his cow a little more than a week ago, said he did so because he fears those senselessly slaying animals will one day escalate to killing people.
Police stress that all crimes, including agricultural crimes, should be reported so they have the clearest picture of what’s going on in the community and can adjust policing strategies accordingly — even if they can’t always immediately correct the wrongdoing.
Email Max Dible at mdible@westhawaiitoday.com.