How Effective Was No-Kill in 2007?
After LA Animal Services released their latest statistics, The Daily News ran a story with this headline: "Animal Deaths Rise in L.A. Shelters". Yet, the number of animals euthanized in Los Angeles has dropped by 20% this year - a hard-won statistic for Ed Boks, general manager for LA Animal Services. Since Los Angeles adopted a no-kill policy 10 years ago, the number of euthanized animals has dropped from 65,000 to 15,000 a year.
So why is the Daily News reporting that animal deaths are on the rise? Because deaths from reasons other than euthanasia -- sickness, injury or natural causes -- are on the rise in shelters across the city. Which seems to make sense: less animals are being euthanized so there are more animals living in shelters that might get sick or injured.
According to the Daily News, Ed Boks sees this as a positive sign:
"I think that what these numbers are revealing is that Animal Services is not looking to euthanize as a first course of action," said Ed Boks, general manager for the Animal Services Department. "We're triaging the animals as they are coming in, to help them.
Yet, critics of LA Animal Services' no-kill policy accuse the shelters of "warehousing pets in a crude attempt to slow euthanasias and to satisfy the city's 'no-kill' mandate for adoptable animals, established in 2003 after pressure by activists." As further evidence of a no-kill policy gone awry, critics cite the 300 unweaned kitten deaths, an alarming 1,470 slider turtle deaths, and a 182 percent rise in dog, cat and rabbit deaths.
How does LA move into 2008 with an effective no-kill policy and find a way to reduce animal deaths while they wait for adoption? There are no easy answers.
According to Ed Boks' blog, the recently completed $160 million investment in upgraded shelters and facilities is a huge step in the right direction:
"The new Centers have wide aisles, solar and radiant heating, cooling misters, veterinary and spay/neuter clinics, park benches for visitors, fountains and lush landscaping – a world away from the grim conditions of the old shelters, where animals could become so agitated or depressed that they seemed ill-tempered and, thus, “unadoptable” by old school animal control reckoning.What can you do to help? Spay & neuter your pets or adopt a pet today. Can't adopt? Volunteer to walk dogs at a rescue organization or one of LA's six animal shelters. Here's to a better year for all of LA's furry friends.By transforming our animal shelters into places of hope and life, instead of despair and doom, we are already experiencing a measurable increase in our adoption rates and consequently one of the most significant declines in LA’s long history of declining euthanasia rates."
Photo by ny156uk via Flickr