Euthanasia Reduction Sought for Shelter Animals

Hillsborough County Commissioners voted unanimously May 2 to study no-kill ordinances in other municipalities and to arrive at a financially feasible plan to minimize the number of animals euthanized at the Hillsborough County Animal Services shelter in Greater Brandon.

While the county has reduced the number of euthanized animals by 52 percent since 2005, . An estimated 14,500 animals of the 21,000 animals the county shelter takes in each year are euthanized.

He said he believes the county should work toward reducing the number of animals euthanized — there is no way you can save all of them, he said — and proposed studying ways to bring this about.

"There will always be a need for some animals to be euthanized because of illness and other reasons," Hagan said. "But I don't care if you call it 'no-kill' or 'Save 90 [percent],' I've yet to hear one person say the county shouldn't have the goal of reducing the euthanasia rate."

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For more on the May 2 meeting and vote, including the work of the Animal Advisory Committee; Brandon resident Vivian Bacca's concern about costs; Commissioner Al Higginbotham's concerns about housing; and Commissioner Kevin Beckner's call for a more robust adoption, spay and neuter program, visit the Bloomingale-Riverview Patch report written by editor D'Ann White. The article notes as well that Hillsborough County Administrator Mike Merrill said a new director would be named as early as today, May 3, for the Hillsborough County Animal Services operation at 404 N. Falkenburg Rd. in Tampa.