Corpus Christi Shelter
And the shelter refuses to discontinue this cruel and inhumane practice, stating that, instead, the pubic should be educated on the issue of spay/neuter.
Well, I say that, by the time the public is educated, it's a little late for hundreds of poor animals who will have to suffer in the meantime.
Please write letters expressing your concern about this.
Thank you.
Jamie
City is urged to stop gas chamber use
Officials say education on neutering will help control unwanted animals
By Neal Falgoust
Caller-Times
members want to promote community education and the neutering of pets.
Budget Director Mark McDaniel told the City Council on Tuesday that addressing that problem would require about $25,000 to hire someone to take on the task.
Each year, the city kills more than 14,000 animals. About two-thirds of those are killed in a carbon monoxide gas chamber. The others - about 1,300 puppies, kittens and injured animals - are killed with a lethal injection.
Using lethal injection to kill all of the animals would cost significantly more, McDaniel said. No analysis has been performed on those costs, but McDaniel said full use of the injections would require hiring more staff to handle the animals and more supplies.
Since late August, when the shelter had to put down about 100 animals because of a tick infestation, some residents have urged the city to find an alternative to the gas chamber, which they called inhumane. City staff members on Tuesday said that using lethal injections to kill all of the animals would cost too much, insisting that they wanted to address the underlying causes of a high stray
animal population - irresponsible pet owners.
City Manager David Garcia and Health Department director Dr. Nina Sisley said the policy change was developed in meetings with residents who had expressed concern that animals were not being treated well.
Residents said they were afraid animals being killed in a gas chamber would not die instantly, Sisley said.
A report issued earlier this year in the Journal of the American
Veterinary Medical Association reported that some dogs and cats became aggressive in the chamber while the gas took effect. The journal suggested that the gas chamber was an acceptable means of killing unwanted animals if the chamber allowed them to be separated.
At the Corpus Christi shelter, animals are not killed individually. They are put into the chamber in a cage divided into four sections. Depending upon the size of the animals being killed, there are usually two or three animals in each compartment. The animals are separated by species.
Kristen Anderson, who met with Garcia and other senior staffers, said her ultimate goal is to get the city to move away from the use of the gas chamber. She said officials were open to the ideas she presented, but both sides agreed that addressing the high stray population would help them confront the issue.
"It was not the ultimate goal, but it is a great start," Anderson said.
Garcia said a middle ground was reached with the residents because doing away with the chamber - and relying on lethal injections - would prove too costly.
"We both came to the conclusion that the root of the problem was
educating people," he said.
Contact Neal Falgoust at 886-4334 or [email protected]
Please write them and express your concerns over this inhumane treatment of these poor animals.
Mayor's Office
Main Line: 361-880-3100
[email protected]
Henry Garrett
At Large
City Council Offices
Main Line: 361-880-3105
http://www.hcgarrett.com
Brent Chesney
At Large
City Council Offices
Main Line: 361-880-3105
Send e-mail to Brent Chesney through
[email protected]
John Longoria
At Large
Main Line: 361-883-1809
Hm: 361-857-0646
[email protected]
Bill Kelly
District 1
City Council Offices
Main Line: 361-880-3105
Send e-mail to Bill Kelly through
[email protected]
Javier D. Colmenero
District 2
City Council Offices
Main Line: 361-880-3105
[email protected]
Jesse Noyola
District 3
City Council Offices
Main Line: 361-880-3105
Send e-mail to Jesse Noyola through
[email protected]
Mark Scott - District 4
City Council Offices
Main Line: 361-880-3105
[email protected]
Rex Kinnison
District 5
City Council Offices
Main Line: 361-880-3105
Office: 361-884-6396
[email protected]
Corpus Christi Caller Times
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