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The last GM report we had was last August's; we have not had one for 7 months. The annual GM report is three months late. I heard from Jim Bickhart that there would be a No-Spin annual report in April. I think that is not going to happen either.
Instead of a GM report, we did get a March 2007 blogspot post about a March N0-Kill month where over 650 animals were killed.
Just for a refresher, the "real" March figures are:
REGARDING “PROGRESS” MADE DURING MARCH 2007
Boks stated "March 2007 - A No-Kill Month! March 2007 is the lowest monthly euthanasia rate since LA Animal Services began collecting this data! Not only were no healthy dogs or cats killed in the month of March, but also only nine treatable animals were euthanized and only after three regimens of treatment failed to produce any improvement in the health of the animals."
He killed 675 animals in March 2007.
He said 18% of all animals that entered the shelter had irremediable suffering, contagious diseases, were feral or aggressive so he had to kill them.
In other words, they deserved to die so the shelter was really No-Kill.
In review of the March 2007 statistics I see:
One, animals actually leaving the shelter alive has decreased.
Two, animals dying in the shelter has increased dramatically.
Three, animals being held in the shelter has increased dramatically. Boks is holding onto the animals so he doesn't have to euthanize them. He is not juggling the numbers, he is juggling the animals in order to improve his numbers. Had he not held those animals much longer, his euth rate and numbers would have been up.
To see what's really happening in the shelter we need to look at the out-alive rate. How many were adopted, returned to owner, fostered or taken by New Hope.
The number of animals that left the shelter alive in March 2007 was down in number and percentage. Fewer animals made it out alive. This is for cats, dogs, bunnies and others.
Out alive numbers for March 2007, 2328 or 63% of intake.
March 2006, 2356 out alive, or 67%.
March 2005, 2543 out alive, or 54%.
The point of a nokill director is to get the animals out alive, not to warehouse them in cramped, stressful and unhealthy conditions.
More animals are now dying in the shelter than ever before:
One, because there are more animals in the shelter.
Two, because he's holding them longer and they are getting sick and dying.
Three, because the vets are overtaxed and can't treat them all as well.
Here is the total dying in the shelter. Almost four times as many animals are dying in the shelter than before he got here.
2007, 247 died, or 11%.
2006, 167 died, or 7%.
2005, 70 died, or 3%
That is, the number of animals that died in the shelters during March 2007 because of disease, fighting, etc., is 352% of the March, 2005 figures..
Combined cat and dog adoptions are only up by two animals in March.
New Hopes rescues were up over 2006, but down over 2005.
CATS:
Cat adoptions way down from last March, down 30%. Cat euth is down because he's holding onto them. Cat intake is the same.
Died in shelter the same as 2006, which was way up from 2005.
Cats out alive is way down. He failed cats.
RABBITS:
Rabbit adoptions down 50%, euth almost 300% over 2006; dying in shelter up, intake is down. He failed rabbits.
OTHER ANIMALS:
Other adoptions only up by two animals. New Hope is way down, 50% down. Dying in shelter 2007 was 9 times 2005, or an 800% increase, 166 died in shelter 2007, 18 died in shelter in 2005 (9.2 times) for an 820% increase.
Euth is up over 2006. Intake is up. He failed "others."
Notice, he is keeping more animals longer but adopting way fewer.
Cats adopted in March 2006, 367
Cats adopted in March 2007, 259, down 30%.
Holding the animals longer is not improving their chance of adoption. In fact, it seems to be making the adoptions go down. Maybe because they look sick, are frightened, stressed out from being kept longer? Maybe because the shelters are full which overwhelms potential adopters?
Maybe the annual report will be about February or March of 2006 instead of the entire year. I think though the will be no 2006 annual report.
2 comments:
Boks promised to present his annual report to the commission in April. There are no more commission meetings in April. He will be late. After the recent articles talking about his numbers I hope he will be honest.
I think keeping the animals longer is a necessary technique under the PROPER circumstances. The animals have to be bathed, receive vet care as needed, be walked and exercised, undergo socialization and some level of training, be fed in a non-competitive manner, and aggressively advertised for adoption. Then, keeping them longer would make sense and be to their benefit.
If they were not so mean to volunteers much of this could get done. If they were actively pursuing no kill, an aggressive advertising campaign would be in place. Vet techs can perform a lot of what is necessary in the shelters concerning treatment. Despite their knowledge and skills, vet techs aren't even expensive. There's just no excuse for the lack of action, and it's costing lives.
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