Animal welfare supporters will speak for humane treatment of animals.
By Michele King, Best Friends NetworkHundreds of animal welfare supporters and concerned citizens will attend a public hearing on July 18 in Raleigh , North Carolina to make comments on new proposed state rules for animal shelters. If approved, the rules will become part of North Carolina state law in November. The hearing is open to public comments about the new rules, much of which focus on euthanasia of animals and training for shelter employees. Animal lovers from across the state object to details of the regulations. Many are making plans to speak on behalf of sheltered animals and are asking for a legislative review.
Also attending will be representatives of the American Humane Association, In Defense of Animals, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, and many local organizations from North Carolina .
In 2005, an addition to N.C. General Statute 19a-24 called for the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to adopt rules on the euthanasia of animals in shelters. The rules were written "in-house" by employees of the Animal Welfare Section. The proposed rules have been published in the registry and may be viewed at
http://www.oah.state.nc.us/rules/register/, Issue 01 - 07/02/2007.
The new regulations include approval of carbon monoxide gas chambers to kill sheltered animals, a method strongly opposed by most animal welfare groups. Animal gas chambers are on the decline nationally but are still used in more than 30 North Carolina counties. Approximately one dozen public shelters in the state have switched from inhalant gas to euthanasia by injection in the past three years for the thousands of animals that are not adopted.
Over 250,000 unwanted pets are killed in North Carolina's animal shelters each year. Animal welfare advocates are asking that injectable euthanasia of sodium pentobarbital become the only approved method for use in shelters. This is the same procedure used by veterinarians and approved by every national humane organization in the United States. Animals are given a simple shot of a barbiturate and fall quickly to sleep.
Carbon monoxide gas chambers are only approved by a couple of national groups, and only for some animals in limited situations. Even those organizations object to gassing very young, sick, injured, elderly or pregnant animals, since these animals can be subject to an even greater amount of stress and anxiety and it can take them longer to die.
The new rules require separation of individual animals within a gas chamber, a point which has been argued by some shelter employees since the process will take longer. In the past, multiple animals have been placed inside with no protection from fighting. Animal welfare proponents contend that separation is not enough, and that animals will continue to suffer an inhumane death.
Current state law, General Statute 130a-192, requires that animals be euthanized by a method approved by the American Humane Association, Humane Society of the United States , or the American Veterinary Medical Association. None of these organizations approve of gas chambers to euthanize animals under 16 weeks of age or sick animals. Still, many shelters in North Carolina kill all animals with the toxic gas, regardless of age or health condition. The current law is supposed to be enforced locally, but often there is no enforcement at all.
Training for animal control employees is also up for debate. There is currently no requirement for training staff to use gas chambers, although machines can leak or malfunction, putting workers at high risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. The lack of instruction can result in inhumane handling of animals as well. The new rules will require formal training for any employee involved in the killing process.
But alas, the primary euthanasia trainer in North Carolina is also a gas chamber salesman. A former student describes his class as an “infomercial” for gas chambers, during which students are told that the machines are safer for them than euthanizing pets by injection. The classes are paid for with tax dollars. Government employees are taught to kill on-site at county funded facilities, where shelter animals are used for practice. Animal welfare supporters are asking for better training by national organizations to be more widely used in North Carolina, to ensure humane treatment of animals and stop biased teaching at the public's expense.
Another impending change to shelter regulations: gas chambers must be commercially manufactured. The many shelters now using homemade gas boxes will soon have to change their method, or purchase a new gas chamber. Of course, our government employees can receive purchase information during euthanasia classes.
More changes in the proposed rules include the elimination of a requirement for ambient temperature controls while animals are transported to shelters. The proposed rules will allow extreme hot or cold temperatures in enclosures during transports of less than one hour, which could cause animals to suffer or die on their way to the shelter.
Public Hearing
Date: July 18, 2007
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Location: Martin Building, State Fairgrounds
1025 Blue Ridge Road, Raleigh, North Carolina What you Can Do:To get on a list to speak at the hearing, call (919) 733-7125, extension 233 for Gail Rothstein, or extension 238 for David McLeod.
Any person may object to the proposed rules by submitting a written statement of objection(s) to:
David S. McLeod
Secretary, NC Board of Agriculture
1001 Mail Service Center
Raleigh , NC 27699-1001