MAUI, Hawaii (Island News) – Following the horrific August Maui wildfires that resulted in thousands of people and animals displaced, the Maui Humane Society (MHS) shares the current state of Maui’s pets and what’s next in supporting the Lahaina community.
Nearly 800 Lahaina animals have been taken in by MHS since the fires, and almost half of the animals in the shelter’s care are “fire cats” from Lahaina. Currently there are nearly 300 fire cats of a total of more than 600 pets in MHS’ care. As of February 1, it has been estimated that roughly 50 community cats remain in the burn zone, down from an estimated 600 who survived the fires.
Following the events of the wildfires, MHS has hired an additional 15 temporary staff members to form its Fire Task Force. The task force team is dedicated to reunification and adoption. Since the making of the task force, nearly 200 pets have been reunited with their families and nearly 130 animals have been adopted by new families.
MHS has received nearly $11 million in restricted fire donations and significant numbers of unrestricted donations. These donations will allow MHS to spend approximately $25 million in the next 2 to 3 years to support and estimated 66,000 impacted pets and their owners.
Some of the future plans include the following:
• $9 million for veterinary care, including spay/neuter clinics, mobile wellness clinics, on-site or referral veterinary care, and more
• $5 million for pet supplies and food for dogs, cats, horses and other pets
• $1 million towards rescue and reunification efforts, which includes humane trapping, pet reunite efforts, veterinary care, foster care, and temporary staffing
• $500,000+ towards pet flights to the mainland and neighboring islands and transfer programs to relocate impacted animals to Lanai Cat Sanctuary and partner shelters or rescues on the mainland
• Remaining funds will be spend on disaster response training for staff and community members, additional off-site facilities to house animals and support the Lahaina community, and investment in sustainable programs to support Maui’s pets
• Around $2 million has already been spent on immediate fire response including animal search and rescue, emergency veterinary care for injured animals, ongoing trapping within the burn zone, emergency staffing to support disaster response, and more.
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