Fewer pets pulling lengthy quarantine
By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer
The state's new animal quarantine law is proving a success, with a majority of the dogs and cats brought to Hawai'i since July 1 qualifying for the five-day-or-less rabies program.
The state Department of Agriculture will hold public hearings on proposed changes to the state's quarantine law. The locations are as follows: • Maui — Nov. 3, 1:30 p.m., Wailuku Community Center. • Kaua'i — Nov. 4, 10 a.m., Lihu'e office of the Department of Agriculture. • Kona — Nov. 5, 10 a.m., Kona Civic Center Conference Room. • Hilo — Nov. 6, 9 a.m., State Office Building, Conference Rooms B and C. • O'ahu — Nov. 7, 1:30 p.m., Department of Agriculture Plant Quarantine Conference Room.
From July 1 to Sept. 30, 65 percent of the 1,733 dogs and cats arriving in the state were released within five days. The state Department of Agriculture also said that 1,053 were released directly at Honolulu International Airport, with most being processed within 30 minutes.
Hearings set
Each month since the program began, state statistics show a rising number of pets qualifying for the new program. In July, 48 percent of the pets qualified for early release. That number increased to 80 percent in September.
The new law shortened the confinement period for pets that meet requirements before they arrive here to five days or less, rather than the 30- to 120-day quarantine.
Pet owners fought for the reduced requirements and said the old confinement period was too long and placed an emotional and financial burden on pet owners.
Gov. Linda Lingle said the new program is "exceeding expectations."
"To have 80 percent of pets qualify in such short a period is a testament to how effective the Department of Agriculture has been getting the word out about the new rules," Lingle said.
Veterinarian Isaac Maeda, program manager at the state's rabies quarantine branch, said the release rate could be higher if pet owners followed all of the requirements. The state said 624 pets had to be quarantined for either 30 or 120 days.
"We want people to go to the department's Web site because there's a checklist to help people prepare the animals, and it kind of goes in a stepwise fashion what you need to have done," Maeda said. "There are some people who have not followed that exactly. They haven't submitted their documents ahead of their arrival and that has been a problem for some people."
Maeda said that many animals are released after the paperwork can be confirmed.
Information on the requirements can be found at www.hawaiiag.org.
Even though many pets have qualified for the five-day release, some owners have chosen to keep their animals in quarantine while making housing arrangements because many hotels do not allow pets, department officials said.
The Department of Agriculture is proposing amending the law to further ease quarantine restrictions.
For a complete list of proposals, go to a Department of Agriculture office or see www.hawaiiag.org/hdoa/publicnotices.htm.
Reach Curtis Lum at 525-8025 or culum@honoluluadvertiser.com.
