Animal rights group to release video of alleged abuse of ducklings at Santa Cruz hatchery

read the article here

Take action and let the Santa Cruz County District Attorney's office know these crimes should not go unpunished. 

California to release the first ever Spay and Neuter License Plate! Proceeds will go to funding low cost spay and neuter programs across the state. Pre-orders for the plate begin June 9, 2010. For order info click here. 

 North Carolina Coalition for Humane Euthanasia

ncche.com

We are grateful to this group of dedicated volunteers in proactively forcing their lawmakers to  ban gas chambers and use humane euthanasia in their animal shelters (euthanasia by injection).

FEDERAL CIVIL RIGHTS STATUTE PROTECTS RIGHTS OF ANIMAL SHELTER VOLUNTEERS AND RESCUERS:
In other good news, a very old federal statute has proven applicable in situations where volunteers and rescuers have experienced retaliation for calling attention to poor or inhumane conditions at animal shelters. According to the No Kill Legal Advocacy Center, “some officials who oversee shelters are threatening volunteers and rescuers that if they speak publicly about conditions at the shelter, they will be banned from volunteering or rescuing animals. But in actually banning or threatening to ban volunteers and rescuers, these officials nationwide are not only holding the animals hostage by threatening to kill them as punishment, they are also violating the civil rights of volunteers.

In 2008, Los Angeles rescuers teamed up with the No Kill Advocacy Center to file a lawsuit which alleged that the civil rights of volunteers and rescuers were being violated as retaliation for going public with their observations of inhumane conditions and neglectful treatment at the shelter. The court agreed.
 In applying a federal civil rights statute to this area, the court gave animal activists a powerful weapon to reform the nation’s broken animal shelter system. Volunteers and rescuers no longer have to choose between remaining silent about abuses or risk losing their ability to help some animals by volunteering or rescuing them from death row”. For more information or to read the entire article visit:  www.nokilladvocacycenter.org/pdf/Sec1983_000.pdf

Created in Santa Cruz County California...

Citizens for Responsible Animal Shelter Management was formed by former animal shelter employees in response to hundreds of complaints received in 2008 regarding the new management of  Santa Cruz County Animal Services Authority.

Santa Cruz County Animal Services Authority (SCCASA) is the county animal shelter that was formerly the Santa Cruz SPCA; and it is known for being progressive, even by California standards. For example, Santa Cruz County was one of the first to pass a mandatory spay and neuter law in 1995, to stem the tide of unwanted dogs and cats being born and subsequently euthanized in its animal shelter. Because our law was so successful, Santa Cruz County was used as the model for the California Healthy Pets Act AB1634, which sought a state-wide mandatory spay and neuter law. Our county shelters' goal was one day a zero euthanasia rate, and we are steadily getting closer. But it is in no part due to the new management in the last year, this agency has taken steps backwards in policies and procedures which help save lives.

Click here to get an update on the story.

Have a concern about your local municipal animal shelter?

Your tip is completely confidential and can remain anonymous if need be.