In the dynamic landscape of animal welfare, transparency and accountability serve as guiding principles, illuminating the path towards a future where every animal has the opportunity to thrive. By maintaining transparent reporting on shelter statistics, including intake, adoption, and euthanasia rates, shelters not only foster accountability and trust within the community but also gain valuable insights into areas for improvement and measure progress towards achieving no-kill goals. As we delve into the importance of implementing this strategy, let us explore the transformative power of transparency and accountability in advancing the cause of animal welfare. Continue reading “Building Trust Through Transparency and Accountability”
In the quest to create more compassionate and humane communities, animal shelters play a pivotal role. One of the most significant shifts in recent years has been towards achieving “no-kill” status, wherein shelters aim to save the lives of all healthy and treatable animals. This ambitious goal is not only attainable but also essential in fostering a society that values the welfare of all its inhabitants, furry or otherwise.
The formula to end the killing of feral cats works
Feral cat overpopulation poses a significant challenge in various regions, including Hawaii, where colonies of free-ranging cats have become a contentious issue. The practice of Trap/Neuter/Return (TNR) emerges as a humane and viable solution to address this problem. Despite protests and criticism, TNR stands out as an effective approach that not only addresses feline overpopulation but also addresses the concerns raised by ecologists and wildlife advocates. Continue reading “Trap/Neuter/Return (TNR): A Humane Solution to Feral Cat Overpopulation”
In the quest for more humane communities, a powerful synergy exists when municipal animal control agencies, dedicated rescue groups, and compassionate foundations join forces. Today, I will explain the profound impact of collaborative efforts among these entities. Together, they create a formidable alliance that can transform our neighborhoods into havens of compassion and care for animals in need. Continue reading “Harmonizing Forces for Humane Communities: The Vital Role of Collaboration”
Ed Boks provides proven no-kill solutions to communities and shelters
Hello, dear friends and fellow animal advocates. I’ve spent my life working towards the betterment of animal welfare. Today I want to share my thoughts on the current state of animal welfare, the progress we’ve made, and the challenges that still lie ahead.
A Lifetime of Dedication
Throughout my career, I’ve had the privilege of working with numerous organizations and communities, all with the shared goal of improving the lives of our furry, feathered, and scaly friends. From my early days in animal control to leading large municipal animal services agencies, my journey has been one of learning, adapting, and growing.
Progress in Animal Welfare
It’s heartening to see how far we’ve come in the realm of animal welfare. Communities worldwide have made significant strides in improving the lives of animals. Here are some highlights of our progress:
Spay/Neuter Programs: We’ve witnessed the tremendous impact of spay/neuter programs in reducing the number of homeless animals and euthanasia rates.
Adoption and Rescue: Animal shelters have become centers of compassion and hope, with dedicated staff and volunteers working tirelessly to find loving homes for animals in need.
Education and Awareness: Through public outreach and education, we’ve raised awareness about responsible pet ownership, animal cruelty prevention, and the importance of adopting from shelters.
Legislative Changes: Laws have evolved to protect animals, with stricter regulations against animal cruelty, puppy mills, and exotic pet ownership.
Humane Alternatives: We’ve seen the rise of innovative approaches to animal welfare, such as trap-neuter-return (TNR) programs for feral cats and no-kill shelter initiatives.
Challenges on the Horizon
While we’ve made significant strides, there are still challenges ahead:
Overpopulation: Despite our best efforts, overpopulation remains a concern in many areas. Stray and feral animal populations continue to strain resources.
Animal Cruelty: Cases of animal cruelty persist, requiring continued vigilance and enforcement of animal protection laws.
Wildlife Conservation: As human activity encroaches on natural habitats, wildlife conservation becomes increasingly vital. We must protect not only domestic animals but also our wild counterparts.
Education: We must continue educating the public about the importance of adopting, spaying/neutering, and responsible pet ownership.
Global Issues: Animal welfare is not confined to borders. We need to address international issues like the illegal wildlife trade and factory farming on a global scale.
A Message of Hope
Despite the challenges, my hope for the future of animal welfare burns brightly. Our collective efforts have shown that change is possible, and compassion is an unstoppable force. Together, we can continue to make a difference in the lives of animals.
As we move forward, let us remember that every act of kindness towards animals matters, whether it’s adopting a shelter pet, supporting local rescue organizations, or advocating for stronger animal protection laws. Together, we can create a world where animals are treated with the respect and care they deserve.
Conclusion
In reflecting on the current state of animal welfare, I’m reminded of the famous quote by Mahatma Gandhi: “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” Our journey towards a more compassionate world for animals is a testament to our moral progress. Let’s continue this journey with unwavering dedication, for the sake of the animals who rely on us for their well-being and happiness.
If I can help your organization or community, let me know at: Contact Ed Boks
Insanity, according to Albert Einstein, is “doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results.” Many communities address their feral cat problem over and over again with two basic methodologies - only to be disappointed by the consequences of their efforts.
Feral cats are cats who have reverted to a wild state – born from tame cats that owners abandon or allow to run loose. These cats mate with other free-roaming cats, and their offspring, raised without human compassion, are wild, or feral. They grow up and breed with other feral and free-roaming cats and the cat population increases exponentially. Feral cats are considered a public nuisance by some and a public health concern by others. They needn’t be either.
The two methodologies employed by most communities are Do Nothing and Eradication. Decades of applying these methodologies has proven they don’t work – and there are very real biological reasons why.
It is easy to understand why doing nothing has little impact on the problem, but it is not as easy to understand why eradication does not work.
Feral cats typically live in colonies of 6 to 20 cats. When individuals try to catch cats for extermination, this heightens the biological stress of the colony, triggering a survival mechanism that causes the cats to over-breed and over-produce. Consequently, instead of birthing one litter per year with two or three kittens, a stressed female will produce two or three litters with 6 to 9 kittens each.
Even in the unlikely event that a person could catch and remove all the feral cats in a neighborhood, a phenomenon known as “the vacuum effect” would result. The removed colony had kept surrounding colonies at bay, but once removed, all deterrents evaporate and the surrounding cats enter the new territory to over-breed. The vacated neighborhood is quickly overrun with feral cats fighting for mates, caterwauling, and spraying for territory. Extermination only exacerbates the problem and actually produces worse results than doing nothing at all.
However, there is a third methodology that is increasingly practiced in communities across the United States and around the world with amazing results. It is called Trap/Neuter/Return, or TNR.
With TNR, all the feral cats in a neighborhood are trapped, sterilized, and returned to the area where they originated – under the care of a colony manager. The colony manager is a trained volunteer in the neighborhood willing to feed, water, and care for the colony.
Feral cats are descended from domestic cats but are born and live without human contact. Trap/Neuter/Return is the only effective – and humane – method of controlling the feral cat population.
TNR prevents the vacuum effect. Altered cats display none of the troubling behaviors of intact cats. Feral cats provide free rodent abatement, a service many neighborhoods unknowingly rely on. Since feral cats only live three to five years, the problem literally solves itself through attrition, provided TNR is implemented community-wide.
TNR also solves public nuisance complaints. There is an adage that says “you can’t herd cats.” In fact, you can herd neutered cats because they tend to hang around the food bowl. No longer having the urge to breed and prey, they follow the food bowl wherever the colony manager takes it. Feral cats can be trained to congregate in areas out of the way of the public.
TNR is a non-lethal, humane and cost-effective solution. Understanding these facts, municipal animal shelters ought to enact a moratorium on accepting feral cats until a comprehensive community-wide feral cat program can be initiated.
TNR empowers citizens to solve this troublesome problem once and for all. Feral cats are trapped, neutered, vaccinated, health-checked by a veterinarian and returned to their neighborhood where their population is stabilized and reduced through attrition.
If you would like more information on TNR or if you need help to develop this program in your community, please contact me.
They have big hearts, clownish grins, and wildly wagging tails, but pit bulls do pose tough challenges to the humane community. In 2018, nearly half of U.S. pit bulls were homeless.
Many people wrongfully demonize pit bulls as an inherently dangerous breed. Others overlook challenges specific to the breed in their efforts to defend people’s rights to own them. These opposing views often lead to a vitriolic debate that winds up at City Hall. Continue reading “Pit Bulls Are Not Monsters”
More than a policy and statistical objective, “no-kill” is a principle, an ethic, and once applied the practical consequences begin to fall into place. The principle is that animal shelters should apply the same criteria for deciding an animal’s fate that a loving pet guardian or conscientious veterinarian would apply. That is, healthy and treatable animals are not killed simply because of a lack of room or resources to care for them.Continue reading “Applying the No-Kill Ethic by Ed Boks”
Imagine being responsible for the life or death of 55,000 dogs and cats every year. As the General Manager for the City of Los Angeles Animal Services Department, the desperate need of these animals weighed on my mind every day. I was determined to end pet homelessness and the practice of killing and disposing of our society’s surplus companion animals.
In Judeo/Christian literature the word “sin” originates from the idea of “missing the mark”. Our understanding of missing the mark has been explained by theologians through the ages as resulting from sins of commission and sins of omission.
While pondering this idea, I wondered how the concept of sin, or “missing the mark”, might apply to our responsibility for the environment and the animals who inhabit it. It occurred to me that there are three deadly sins we commit when we fail in our responsibility for animals: cruelty, neglect, and hoarding. Continue reading “The 3 Deadly Sins: Cruelty, Neglect and Hoarding by Ed Boks”
A Commitment to No-Kill Excellence
