Quarantine change nets huge response
By Kawehi Haug
Advertiser Staff Writer
More than half of the pets that entered Hawai'i since strict quarantine rules were relaxed June 30 were released in five days or less.
• Pets need a microchip implanted for identification. • The pet needs a rabies shot and a booster, not less than three months or more than one year apart. • Animals must have passed a blood serum test, with results e-mailed to Hawai'i officials by the testing lab. Pets cannot enter the state until 120 days after the blood sample is received by the state. • Hawai'i officials must receive a health certificate from the pet's veterinarian at least 10 days before arrival, with all test results and health certificates sent by e-mail to prevent fraud. • At the airport, animal quarantine officials will inspect every pet, check its chip to confirm its identity and release the animal to its owner if everything is in order. • On the Web: The Hawai'i Department of Agriculture has published a checklist for pet owners: www.hawaiiag.org/hdoa
The Hawai'i Department of Agriculture said yesterday that of the 600 pets that came to Hawai'i in the last 30 days, 320 qualified for a quarantine of five days or less by meeting new requirements, and 260 were released at the airport.
Pet owners must prepare at least four months in advance to qualify for a five-day quarantine.
The shorter rabies quarantine program is off to a stronger-than-anticipated start, said Diane Ley, deputy to the chairperson of the Department of Agriculture.
"When we were finalizing the rules, we anticipated that 50 percent of the animals would qualify for the five-day-or-less program," Ley said. "But we certainly didn't anticipate that so many pet owners were prepared to bring their pets in during the first 30 days."
The relative ease for many people bringing pets into the state since the new rules took effect stands in stark contrast to a system that previously required cats and dogs to be confined for at least a month.
Gov. Linda Lingle, who experienced the lengthy quarantine system firsthand when she brought her pet cockapoo Spooky into the state in 1975, said she hoped to see more pets released soon after their arrival.
"The majority of pet owners are able to comply with the requirements of the five-day-or-less program, and we hope that as word travels those numbers will increase," Lingle said in a statement.
The new program also allows kama'aina pet owners to travel with their pets and return to the islands without quarantine if they follow certain procedures.
Before the rule change, all pets were quarantined for 30 to 120 days.
State officials have enforced a quarantine since 1912 to ensure that rabies is not introduced into Hawai'i, the only state free of the disease. The confinement period was reduced only once before — in 1997, with a 30-day option.
Some 4,681 pets were brought to the Islands last year.
Pet owners hoping for shorter quarantines must provide proof their animal has had two rabies shots, microchip implantation for identification and clean blood serum tests.
Quarantine costs are $165 if the pet qualifies for direct release from the airport and $224 if the pet must be held for five days.
The longer quarantines remain in effect for pets that do not meet the new requirements. A 30-day quarantine costs $655; a 120-day quarantine costs $1,080.
The many people taking advantage of the shorter quarantines at lower costs won't affect the department's budget, Ley said.
The department charges only for the cost of clearing an animal for release. Those costs are not subsidized by taxpayer money, she said.
Reach Kawehi Haug at 525-8054 or khaug@honoluladvertiser.com.
