HRR to Assume Animal Control Activities on Big Island

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Beginning in August, Hawaiʻi Rainbow Rangers (HRR) will administer animal control services on behalf of Hawai‘i County.

HRR is a branch of Rainbow Friends Animal Sanctuary; a nonprofit founded in 1999 dedicated to the well-being of abandoned, abused, and neglected animals. These services were previously performed for the county by the Hawaiʻi Island Humane Society (HIHS).

Over the next three months, as HRR establishes permanent shelters and staffing, interim services will be provided. The following services will be provided beginning on Aug. 1, 2020:

• Operation of one animal shelter in Kailua-Kona formally the West Hawaiʻi site of HIHS. This shelter is located at 74-5225 Queen Kaʻahumanu Highway. Shelter hours will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday, and dog licensing will be conducted at this location. During the interim, no animal drop boxes/cages will be provided.
• HRR may be reached at 808-666-9589 to receive requests for services and complaints regarding animals from the public. This phone line will be staffed Monday through Friday during business hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Messages left on the answering machine will be responded to on the next business day, inclusive of those concerning lost pets. A Facebook informational page has been created at /Rainbow-Friends-Animals-Alive. Contact the Big Island Police Department at 808-935-3311 for animal-related after-hour emergencies.
• Animal Control Officers will be available to pick up stray, unwanted, trapped, or vicious animals, island-wide, which will be transported to private sanctuaries in East Hawaiʻi and the Kona Shelter in West Hawaiʻi pending final disposition. Animal Control officers will also respond to reports of deceased animals on roadways or roadway shoulders. Contact HRR for these requests.
• Providing Spay and Neuter coupons and services (a combination of county and private nonprofits). Free spay and neuter clinics will be announced and held once monthly, HRR may be contacted for further information on these services.

During the interim limited service period from Aug. 1 to Oct. 31, Hawaiʻi Police Department officers will conduct all animal cruelty and related investigations.

Beginning Nov. 1, HRR will operate full-service responsibilities for the operation of three shelters including one in East Hawaiʻi.