PET owners moving to Hawaii won an important battle five years ago when the state's four-month quarantine for incoming animals was reduced to as little as 30 days. Even that requirement is cumbersome and expensive and should not be based on unrealistic fears of an outbreak of rabies. An alternative that provides assurance of a rabies-free Hawaii without an animal quarantine should be attainable. There should be way
to end pet quarantineThe issue: A coalition has proposed that the
state end the quarantine for incoming pets.The four-month quarantine still exists, but pet owners can reduce it to one by complying with a three-month waiting period before arrival in Hawaii, two tests for rabies, at least two vaccinations within a three-month period and insertion of a microchip for identification.
A coalition that includes the Hawaii Chamber of Commerce and the Hawaiian Humane Society proposes that the waiting period and quarantine be eliminated. The proposal includes a rabies shot and booster within three months of each other, followed by a blood test and placement of the identifying microchip. Dr. Jim Foppoli, the state veterinarian, is concerned that such a change would increase the risk of rabies and be difficult to enforce.
The anti-quarantine coalition may be asking too much in trying to eliminate both the waiting period prior to arrival and a quarantine of any length. However, there should be a way for pet owners to take all measures necessary, however long they take, before their pets' arrival to avoid placing them in holding cells.
Enforcement should not be a problem if all the steps required for a pet's admittance are taken before arrival. According to the coalition's proposal, test results would be included in a health certificate sent by the pet's veterinarian to Hawaii officials by e-mail two weeks prior to the animal's arrival. However, that process should take a substantial period; the incubation period for rabies normally is one month but it can be much longer.
The pre-move waiting period is onerous for people -- civilian and military alike -- who are given advance notice of only a few weeks to report for jobs in the islands. They must find interim care for their pets on the mainland, but they are sure to regard that as preferable to their pets' imprisonment in Halawa.
Legislators should find a way to reduce the financial burden on pet owners who have no choice but to pay for quarantine. Reducing the number of quarantined pets doesn't lessen the cost of operating the quarantine. Fees that were increased when the quarantined pet population fell should not soar even further.
The City Council seems likely to approve one of two bills that would revise special district regulations to allow drive-through service at businesses in Haleiwa. If the intent is to legalize an existing drive-through for a McDonald's restaurant and end a long-running dispute, fine. However, the regulations were set up to preserve the historic character of Haleiwa and further erosion should be resisted. Bills erode protection
of Haleiwa’s charmsThe issue: The City Council is poised to OK
drive-through operations in the historic district.The bills before the Council are opposed by residents who correctly argue that the drive-throughs do not conform to the distinctive atmosphere of the town. Some businesses are against the measures because drive-throughs may exacerbate the traffic congestion along Kamehameha Highway.
One bill, submitted by the Department of Planning and Permitting, would allow drive-through services until 10 p.m., only along Kamehameha Highway and at least 2,000 feet apart. Businesses would be required to screen vehicles with landscaping and resolve traffic problems.The second bill, proposed by Councilwoman Rene Mansho, would restrict drive-throughs to the ends of town.
The special district was set up after the old Haleiwa Theater was torn down to make way for the fast-food restaurant, which stirred the town's advocates of preservation. In 1997, McDonald's was granted a variance for its drive-through window, but residents and the environmental group Life of the Land sued. A state judge overturned the variance and the case rests with the Hawaii Supreme Court. To resolve the issue, the Council last year voted to revise the regulations and, in December, the Planning Commission recommended that the laws be changed.
The special district designation seeks to protect Haleiwa's ambiance. Tourists are attracted because the town's rural architecture recollects a bygone era. Haleiwa lures residents seeking escape from urban Oahu. The town's appeal had resulted in bumper-to-bumper traffic on Kamehameha Highway until a bypass was built.
The Council sees the measures as a compromise that would extract the city from the legal dispute. Drive-through opponents view the Council's action as a chipping away at regulations intended to protect Haleiwa. If the city and Council no longer want Haleiwa to remain a historic treasure, they should repeal the special district designation instead of breaking it apart bit by bit, then be prepared to meet the voters who clamor for preservation.
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