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Date: April 29, 2024 Mon
Time: 10:51 pm
Time: 10:51 pm
Results for animal cruelty (new york city, u.s.)
1 results foundAuthor: Stringer, Scott M. Title: Led Astray: January 2013 Reforming New York City’s Animal Care and Control Summary: New York City’s Animal Care & Control (“AC&C”) – the non-profit corporation that runs the largest animal shelter system in the Northeast – is in dire need of reform. Since 1995, AC&C has been under contract with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (“DOHMH”) for rescuing, caring for and finding loving homes for the city’s homeless and abandoned animals. However, AC&C’s performance falls short of this mission. Adoptions have dropped 37 percent in the past six years while placements, which enable AC&C to pass the responsibility of caring for an animal onto a rescue group, have increased by 70 percent. Dog licensing, a viable source for significant revenue, lingers at around 10 percent, and the number of new licenses issued has declined for three straight years. Furthermore, a high rate of illness at AC&C shelters exposes thousands of animals each year to potentially life-threatening conditions. AC&C’s inability to generate outside revenue has made the non-profit overly-dependent on City funding, which historically has been inconsistent and inadequate. The root of the problem is structural: AC&C is controlled by the DOHMH. The DOHMH both administers the City’s contract with AC&C and oversees its board – leaving little room for AC&C to question DOHMH priorities and decisions. In short, AC&C’s Executive Director and board members lack the independence, animal care expertise and fund-raising capabilities necessary to properly fulfill their mission. As a result, AC&C has experienced years of under-funding, mismanagement and service cuts – and the animals under its control have suffered severe neglect at shelters. Nothing reflects the organizational dysfunction of Animal Care & Control more profoundly than its management history. Since 1995, the corporation has had eleven different Executive Directors, including eight in the last ten years. Additionally, AC&C has been without a full-time Medical Director on staff since February 2010, contributing to deplorable shelter conditions and a high rate of illness among dogs and cats. On October 29, 2012, Superstorm Sandy hit New York City, causing catastrophic damage to numerous neighborhoods and displacing thousands of residents, businesses and animals. In the days following the storm, volunteers and rescuers reported that AC&C’s doors were closed and field operations ceased – preventing individuals from dropping off found animals or adopting out existing ones. Veteran rescuers said the agency effectively stopped communicating – by phone, e-mail or web postings – making it impossible to know how its animals were faring or what the agency needed. As AC&C struggled to respond, outside groups stepped in to fill the leadership void. Many smaller rescue groups took on the sometimes dangerous tasks of searching for lost animals, while others successfully set up a new network of foster families to take in strays – both responsibilities that should have reasonably fallen to AC&C. Ultimately, the ASPCA established an Emergency Boarding Facility, thanks to a $500,000 grant provided by television personality Rachel Ray, in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn to provide temporary sheltering for scores of animals displaced by the storm. The shelter did not open until November 17, more than two weeks after the storm hit. In addition to a moral obligation, New York City has a legal requirement to care for its stray animal population. Various State and City laws outline requirements for the humane treatment of animals as well as mandate the City to operate shelters and necessary services. AC&C’s record of underperformance stands in stark contrast to New York City’s history as a national leader in animal care. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (“ASPCA”), the first animal welfare organization in the country, was founded in New York. Additionally, some of the nation’s first and most important animal welfare laws were enacted in the city. It is time for New York to lead once again. Details: New York Cityi: Office of the Manhattan Borough President, 2013. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 28, 2013 at: http://www.mbpo.org/uploads/FINALLedAstrayReport.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://www.mbpo.org/uploads/FINALLedAstrayReport.pdf Shelf Number: 129190 Keywords: Animal Cruelty (New York City, U.S.)Cruelty to Animals |