Hawaiian Humane Society
Newsletter
June-August 2012
People for animals. Animals for people.
115 years of animal protection 2012 marks the 115th anniversary of the Hawaiian Humane Society’s work as deputized officials in animal protection. On February 26, 1897, 26-year-old Helen Kinau Wilder was deputized as a special constable of the Marshal of the Republic of Hawaii. News of her appointment spread across the nation, capturing the hearts and imagination of Americans. A New York newspaper reported, “She is probably the only woman police officer in the world. She is wealthy, too, at that, the heiress of a vast Hawaiian estate, and prominent in Hawaiian society. Helen Wilder calls a spade a spade. She chooses to be called a
policeman, disclaiming her right to the title of “special officer.” “She wears a soft felt hat, on which glitters the silver star that shows that she is a policewoman,” according to an Iowa newspaper report. “She carries a revolver and is not afraid to use it. She has made several arrests unaided. Miss Wilder loves children and animals, and wherever she is, or whatever she may be doing, carries a pair of handcuffs, which she is quick to snap upon the wrists of the enemies of her small and lowly friends.” Continued on page 4
Helen Kinau Wilder
President’s Message Cats charm us like no other in the animal kingdom It’s with great humor that I recall attempting to adopt a cat from the Hawaiian Humane Society and was declined. I was told that I worked too much and wouldn’t be home enough with a cat. Later, the Society did find me fit enough to become the president and CEO.
Pamela Burns has served as the Hawaiian Humane Society President and CEO since 1990.
Cats have always been dear to my heart and to the hearts of more
than 100,000 (19% of households) families on Oahu who share their lives with them. In addition, so many of our friends, family and neighbors – 18% of households – are feeding cats that they don’t consider their own.
The plight of neighborhood cats is impossible to ignore. There are thousands of people who are
nobly caring for these felines and attempting to ensure a quality of life while reducing the number of cats humanely. When people trap, neuter, return and manage cats in colonies (TNRM), the population stabilizes and then decreases as cats live out their natural lives without reproducing. As a result, millions of unwanted kittens have been spared from life on the streets. TNRM relies on the ongoing dedication and compassion of Continued on page 2