CALL TO ACTION - Important Legislation

Aloha Good People

There is a bill before the legislation from Senator Dela Cruz that will make against the law to trap feral cats.... even if its for humane reasons such as the TNR (trap neuter release).... now you may ask what does this have to do with monk seals?   It's important that the feral cat population be managed and managed properly... There is a parasite Toxoplasmosa gondii, transmitted primarily through cat feces and carried to the ocean in polluted runoff and sewage. A reported four seals have died from this, two on Ka'aui, one Oahu, and one on Molokai.
The following link is from and article written in Scientific American, for further information. 
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=cat-disease-threatens-endangered-monk-seals

I am also including a link to a site where you can write a letter on line to our legislators expressing your concern.... please make sure you mention the concern for our endangered monk seals.
https://bestfriends.capwiz.com/bestfriends/issues/alert/?alertid=23912501&utm_source=delivra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=hiwaiihb13feralcats&mid=82462515&ml=15167622
And lastly here is an example of what I submitted:
As a Hawaii resident, I care deeply about how my community treats its animals and the manner in which animals are controlled and managed. Senate Bill 13 is diametrically opposed to these concerns as it essentially criminalizes compassion toward feral cats.
As a monk seal volunteer I am concerned if the feral cat population isn’t controlled in the most effective manner it could have a direct impact on the health and well being of the endangered monk seal population. Toxoplasmosa gondii, a parasite transmitted primarily through cat feces and carried to the ocean in polluted runoff and sewage. There have been a few known cases in Hawaii although California has been dealing with the effects of Toxoplamosa affecting the marine mammals in their area.
Here's the link to the toxo/seal article in Scientific America http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=cat-disease-threatens-endangered-monk-seals 
This misguided legislation is ineffective in resolving legitimate community concerns surrounding feral cat populations. This is especially true in light of the numerous municipalities around the nation capitalizing on the effectiveness and cost-efficiency of trap/neuter/return (TNR) programs.
Lethal control of feral cats has been shown repeatedly to be ineffective, cost-prohibitive, and publicly unpalatable. Consequently, I strongly urge you to reject Senate Bill 13.