At a Hawaiʻi County Council meeting on Wednesday, the agenda included a contentious bill that would prohibit anyone from feeding stray or feral animals on county property, with the exception of “certified community cat caretakers.”
Hours of public testimony for the bill have shown just how polarizing this topic is. Given the passion on both sides of the issue, HPR wanted to put people in conversation with one another by inviting two people with differing opinions to have a civil discussion about this bill.
Matt Kanealiʻi-Kleinfelder, the council member for District 5, introduced the bill and supports it.
Elaine Partlow is vice president at Action 4 Animals Hawaii, a rescue and animal adoption organization. She opposes the measure.
One point of clarification: HPR received the autopsy report from the 2024 death of the nēnē gosling in Liliʻuokalani Gardens in Hilo. According to the report, laboratory findings pointed to toxoplasmosis as the gosling’s cause of death.
This story aired on The Conversation on Aug. 6, 2025. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m.
