
Delaware has become the first US state to be recognised as a ‘no kill’ area for shelter animals due to its outstanding record for rehoming unwanted and stray cats and dogs.
According to Best Friends Animal Society, Delaware saved 11,900 animals out of the 12,800 that entered shelters, with others being unavoidably euthanized due to ill health.
To achieve a no kill status, 90% of shelter animals need to be saved. Delaware achieved a 92.9% save rate, as announced at Best Friends Animal Society’s annual conference in Dallas last month.
Brandywine Valley SPCA, an organization which runs shelter locations in Pennsylvania and Delaware, was largely responsible in helping Delaware reach the status.
The agency cares for 14,000 animals each year and implemented several programs to save stray or stranded pets in Delaware.
For cats, it implemented the TNR program (trap/neuter/return) — humanely catching the animals, neutering or spaying them, and then letting them free again.
It also organized mega adoption events that were low-cost and hassle-free.
Speaking of the event, marketing director Linda Torelli, told TODAY: “They are weekend-long events, where we adopt out over a thousand animals in two days. It’s an amazing experience. It’s really something to see.”
In a bid to keep animals out of shelters, the organization offers free vaccine clinics, an emergency vet fund and a pet pantry for owners facing financial difficulties.
The non-profit also visits schools to teach children all about pet care through a “Critter Camp” for kids.
To help move animals more quickly through the shelters, the animal welfare group has set up ‘open adoptions’ that don’t require time-consuming applications or intensive home inspections.
The Best Friends Animal Society aims to achieve the no-kill status for dogs and cats across states by 2025 and works closely with shelters, animal welfare organizations and government agencies across the country.
The target seems achievable with the number of euthanized shelter animals falling steadily over the years. The number of animals dying in shelters has reduced to 733,000 from 17 million in the 1980s.
However, some states are lagging behind in terms of saving pets. Texas, California, North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida account for half of all the animals being killed in the U.S. But Holly Sizemore — Best Friends Animal Society’s chief mission officer — is confident about reaching the goal.
She said: “We absolutely have been able to track the catalyst of change and the speeding up of life-saving that’s happening in shelters all across the U.S. I believe the public wants to be a positive part of the solution.”
She hopes animal lovers will proactively support their local shelters by encouraging, adopting, donating, participating, volunteering to ensure shelters get the help they need.
What can be done to save more stray animals? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!
Lifestyle
Vegan culture, food, beauty & more
Puma ditches kangaroo leather for ‘better’ vegan fabric
- Mohsina Dodhiya
- 3rd March 2023
Puma’s King soccer boots are made with vegan K-Better, a new animal-free upper material. Puma SE is officially phasing kangaroo leather out of its soccer boots this year. Instead, it will begin using a vegan fabric following rising consumer opposition to animal-made products. The German sporting goods company has redesigned its legendary KING football boot …
Continue reading “Puma ditches kangaroo leather for ‘better’ vegan fabric”
More than a third of Brits intend to reduce animal products this new year
- Mohsina Dodhiya
- 10th February 2023
Research from The Vegan Society showed that an increasing number of people are looking to reduce their consumption of meat and dairy for environmental reasons. More than one-third of Britons plan to cut back on their consumption of meat and dairy in 2023, according to a survey by the Vegan Society. The world’s oldest vegan …
Continue reading “More than a third of Brits intend to reduce animal products this new year”
VEGAN MEMES
NEED A LAUGH?
QUIZZES
All the quizzes you love to binge!
QUIZ: If you score 11/12 on this quiz, you’re a verified vegan food expert
- Marlon Farrugia
- 10th January 2020
How much vegan knowledge do you have stored away? Do you have to Google your way through a shopping trip, or do you have all the bad E-numbers memorised? Find out now with this quiz. Marlon Farrugia Marlon Farrugia is a freelance writer from Brighton. He has been a dedicated vegan for many years, and …
Continue reading “QUIZ: If you score 11/12 on this quiz, you’re a verified vegan food expert”
QUIZ: What is your perfect Vegan Halloween Costume?
- Marlon Farrugia
- 13th October 2019
Spook Season approaches. There will be ghosts, goblins, ghouls, and glucose. You need a costume, and you want to it to show off your personality, which means VEGAN. But what to choose? Take our quiz to find out your perfect outfit. Marlon Farrugia Marlon Farrugia is a freelance writer from Brighton. He has been a …
Continue reading “QUIZ: What is your perfect Vegan Halloween Costume?”
QUIZ: What kind of vegetable are you?
- Marlon Farrugia
- 26th September 2019
“If you were a vegetable, what kind would you be?” A question that has tormented humanity throughout the ages – until now. Read: QUIZ: If you score 19/20 on THIS quiz, you’re a Vegan God Marlon Farrugia Marlon Farrugia is a freelance writer from Brighton. He has been a dedicated vegan for many years, and …