It’s been three years since the Lahaina wildfire, and Chief of Operations Nikki Russel says the Maui Humane Society is still seeing fallout.
The shelter has 43 dog kennels, but consistently has over 100 dogs in its care. The situation is even more dire for its cats. When Russel spoke to HPR last month, MHS had just six open kennels for the 100 cats that needed a home.
Russel attributes these numbers in part to widespread layoffs and the lack of pet-friendly housing on Maui, both of which have contributed to persistent challenges that staff anticipated early on in the recovery process.
“As the animals left our care, and we started paring back and closing the annex, and then closing down the catios, it was a sense of release,” she said. “But at the same time, it was also a sense of, you know, Lahaina wasn’t going to be back to normal. It’s still not back to normal.”
But the organization is pushing through. Since the fire, MHS has offered consistent support to pet owners and animals across the island.
Reflecting on the fire
After the fire hit in August 2023, it was days before anyone from MHS was allowed inside the burn zone.
“We were begging to get in,” Russel said. “And again, the first report is that 'You don’t need to get into the burn zone. There’s nothing alive.'”
But after about a week, officers from the organization entered what was left of Lahaina.
That first night inside, they rescued around 50 cats, focusing mainly on those that were burned or otherwise injured. That number would later surpass 800. And retrieving 800 cats from a 2,170-acre burn zone was no small feat.
MHS teamed up with organizations like ASAR Training and Response and Neighborhood Cats to safely retrieve what came to be known as “fire cats.” Many of these cats had been free-roaming and had survived the fire by seeking shelter in the local sewer system.
Once removed from Lahaina, each cat underwent a complete physical exam. Those who needed it were also microchipped, spayed or neutered, and given any vaccines they might be missing.
“Most of them had to be sedated for the exam,” Russel said. “They were traumatized.”
All the cats who survived were reunited with their families, rehomed, or released into areas where the community could care for them.
Many were brought into MHS’s cat relocation program, through which the organization provided cats with outdoor enclosures and rehomed them into designated community spaces. And 220 cats that were not fit for adoption were exchanged with the Lanai Cat Sanctuary for 220 that were.
MHS also assisted families who needed to move off-island, helping them pay for health certificates, kennels, and airfare.
“Whatever it took so that people and their animals could stay together,” Russel said. “If people left and didn’t take their pets, we didn’t know what we were going to do. The numbers would have been astronomical.”
Where the organization stands today
With the number of animals at the shelter still running high, MHS relies largely on its foster program.
“I don’t think that people understand how much of a life-saving program our foster program is,” Russel said. “We are so overpopulated.”
MHS also partners with Petco and Cat Cafe Maui to ensure that more animals are seen and adopted. In the case of off-island adoptions, the organization helps new pet owners arrange their flights and obtain health certificates.
And for the past couple of years, the organization has been hosting microchip clinics several times a year. This is in addition to running a mobile clinic in Lahaina every first and third Wednesday of the month, which provides low-cost veterinary care in an area that has yet to rebuild its clinics.
Russel also highlighted MHS’s 4EverPets program, which aims to help low-income pet owners care for their animals. Through the program, pet owners can access the resources they need — things like leashes, food, and licensing for spay and neuter services — to keep their pets in their homes and out of animal shelters. The County of Maui recently approved a $250,000 grant for the program.
“I’ll be honest — I think we’re pretty amazing,” Russel said, speaking of her team at MHS. “I work with extraordinary human beings. We’re very lucky.”
