For Immediate Release
Contact: Jenny Miller, [email protected] 808 877-3680 ext. 218
(Pu’unene 8/9/21) If you’ve ever adopted an animal from Maui Humane Society, chances are that it was helped by Dr. Miyo Kim. After 41 years in the veterinary field, including 25 years as Maui Humane Society’s Senior Shelter Veterinarian, Dr. Kim has announced her retirement.
Dr. Kim has been an essential part of the Maui Humane Society since starting at the Pu’unene shelter in 1996. Her drive to make an impact in the lives of Maui’s homeless animals, both individually and as a community population, has contributed to the creation of what the shelter has become today. It’s estimated that Dr. Kim has performed over 20,000 spay/neuter surgeries on shelter animals, owned pets and community cats. She’s also been responsible for tens of thousands of veterinary exams, medical procedures, surgeries, health certificates and consultations.
Director of Veterinary Services, Kelly Maguire, has worked alongside Dr. Kim for the last 25 years. “The amount of impact she has had on our organization and for our community’s animals can not be measured significantly enough, we would not be where we are today without her. Dr. Kim has been a steady, dedicated advocate for our shelter and community animals,” states Maguire.
Dr. Kim’s calm nature and unwavering professionalism was an essential part of the clinic’s ability to manage the challenges inherent in treating a shelter population. Animals often enter MHS with no medical history, they may be abandoned or feral, victims of abuse or in dire need of emergency medical attention. In every situation, Dr. Kim has led the team with grace, perseverance and resourcefulness. Her presence set a high standard among staff who always revered her positive attitude, humility and knowledge.
“Having started as our only single vet back in the day and in addition to performing thousands of surgeries, Dr. Kim organized Hana clinics to help those in remote locations, brought countless animal cruelty and neglect cases to justice and provided steady leadership in the veterinary services for all animals that have come through our shelter,” reports Kelly Maguire. “We will miss having her here every day. She has truly made a difference in animal and human lives alike and we know her good work has created a solid foundation that will allow us to continue our important work.”
“It’s difficult to explain how valuable Dr. Kim has been to MHS over the years,” said MHS CEO Steve MacKinnon. “She has been directly involved in all our improvements and has brought MHS to where it stands today. Her love of animals and her contributions to the community are immeasurable. We are so thankful for her service and wish her well in the next chapter of her life.”
In honor of Dr. Kim’s service, the public is invited to make a donation with a personal message at https://www.mauihumanesociety.org/donation-in-honor-of-dr-kim/.
Maui Humane Society will be holding a “by donation only” adoption day on Saturday, August 14 in celebration of Dr. Kim. Available animals and appointments to meet them can be made online at www.mauihumanesociety.org.
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Maui Humane Society is the island’s only open admission shelter, accepting all animals in need. The organization cares for over 4000 animals a year and offers high volume, low-cost spay/neuter surgeries to the public for owned pets. All animals adopted or transferred from MHS are first medically evaluated/treated, microchipped, vaccinated, and spayed/neutered. The shelter has a robust foster and volunteer program, transfers hundreds of animals through Wings of Aloha flights to adoption-guaranteed homes, offers daily behavioral and enrichment opportunities, practices TNR as a humane method of reducing the community cat population and provides food and supplies at no cost to disadvantaged pet owners through the 4EverPets community outreach program. FY21 Live Release Rates for dogs was 95.59% and 80.87% for cats. MHS is a registered 501(c)(3) with a Platinum GuideStar rating, partly funded by the County of Maui for Humane Enforcement and sheltering and requires over 50% of the budget to be funded through donations. Follow us @mauihumanesociety or visit www.mauihumanesociety.org.
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