Animal Rights Hawaii

Each week, 400 Canadian pigs are exported from Alberta to California, then to the Hawai’i Livestock Cooperative on O’ahu in conditions which violate Canadian law.  Animals’ Angels, an international animal rights organization and Animal Rights Hawai’i, with support from the Canadian Coalition for Farm Animals (CCFA), submitted extensive proof of violations to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and the USDA.  Hawai’i regulations allow pigs who arrive alive on Hawaiian soil to be considered “local.”  This allows the Hawai’i Livestock Cooperative to market thousands of Canadian pigs as “island fresh.”

The animals’ suffering begins even before the long-distance transport to Hawai’i.  Animals’ Angels documented dead pigs at collection and loading points in Lethbridge, Alberta.  No veterinarian was present to check the pigs’ condition and health and to certify their fitness to travel.

Trucks are driven by one driver the entire route without a break for man or beast.  “The Alberta-Oakland (loading port in California) route cannot be done in less than 42 hours under proper conditions.  Nevertheless, drivers reach their destination in 28 hours, despite requirements for eight hours rest after 13 hours of driving,” says Lesley Moffatt of AA.

Once the trucks reach California, the animals are not unloaded (as required), but moved to partially broken-down ship containers for 36 hours.  Containers sit in the blazing sun without adequate ventilation.  Animals have no chance to recuperate, with high outside temperatures and even higher inside-temperatures.

The pigs are then reloaded to newer containers and transported to the Port of Oakland, where they wait among other containers for approximately six hours, surrounded by noisy cranes and transport vehicles.  Rough seas cause further suffering.  AA documented more animal deaths after five days at sea, from stress compounded by inadequate feed- food ran out a day before docking.  At unloading, many animals were weak or injured and two were dead.  Animals which can’t walk are dragged out.  To speed unloading, port operators use stressful electric prods.

The surviving pigs spend their last days or weeks (depending on demand) on hard concrete flooring, next to a pile of the skins of already dead pigs; food is thrown onto the floor where it is trampled and contaminated with feces.

(Note: this occurs at the taxpayer financed slaughterhouse at Kalaeloa that was supposed to provide more humane handling and slaughter.)

The AA investigator was not allowed to view the slaughter.

WHAT  YOU CAN DO?

Contact Governor Linda Lingle: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it '; document.write( '' ); document.write( addy_text48874 ); document.write( '<\/a>' ); //-->\n This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or via fax at 808.586.0006 and demand that the import of live pigs for slaughter be stopped immediately.  Once the pigs reach Hawai’i alive , they are considered “local” - it is time to stop the lie that causes so much suffering.

Contact Secretary of Agriculture Johanns This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and demand that USDA enforce the 28 Hour law that is clearly being violated during the miserable transport of the pigs.

We have sent a copy of the Animals' Angels report and a CD rom to each member of our congressional delegation.
Please contact them at their Honolulu offices and ask them to intervene.  There is apparently NO statutory oversight to protect these animals.
Ask them to hold hearings on live transport and to stop this cruelty.

Senator Daniel Akaka: tel: 808.522.8970; FAX: 808.545.4683; e-maiI: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Senator Daniel Inouye: tel: 808.541.2542; FAX: 808.541.2549; e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Representative Ed Case: tel: 808.541.1986; FAX: 808.538.0233; e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Representative Neil Abercrombie: tel: 808.541.2570; FAX: 808.533.0133; e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

So far, only Rep. Case has responded, asking USDA to investigate--but we need many more letters and calls.
The State response has been, as it usually is, pro- industry information from one source- the State DoA, whose only interest is in promoting agriculture.

ARH continues to investigate the miserable and often lethal transport of animals by truck and ship.