Report: Florida Survey Shows Animals Needlessly Killed; Rescue Access Law Introduced

MIAMI, Nov. 11, 2011  /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Sunshine State just got a whole lot sunnier. FL State Sen. Mike Bennett has filed legislation "aimed at saving taxpayer dollars along with the lives of Florida's four-legged friends." SB 818, the Florida Animal Rescue Act, would require "any animal control agency or animal shelter that euthanizes animals to maintain a registry of animal rescue groups that are willing to accept animals that would otherwise be subject to euthanization..." Bennett said the legislation combines "compassion and business sense."

The bill, based on model legislation from Rescue50, a national legislative initiative in partnership between the No Kill Advocacy Center and No Kill Nation, would set statewide standards for rescue group access and make it illegal for a shelter to kill an animal when a qualified non-profit rescue organization is willing to save that animal. Not only will it save lives, save taxpayer money, and mandate public-private partnerships, the Florida Animal Rescue Act is consistent with public health and safety, protects animals from harm, and improves public satisfaction with the job government is doing.

A statewide survey of rescue groups across Florida State found that 63% of non-profit animal rescue groups have had at least one Florida state shelter refuse to work collaboratively with them and then turn around and kill they very animals they were willing to save. The most common reason given was shelters either having a policy of not working with rescue groups or being openly hostile to doing so.

It makes no sense to kill animals in the face of cost-effective alternatives, nor does it make sense that taxpayers are spending money to kill animals when non-profit organizations are willing and able to save them at private expense. California's 'rescue access' law saves tens of thousands of animals every year at no cost to the public.

The same survey also found that 45% of respondents are afraid to complain about inhumane conditions or practices at Florida shelters because if they did complain, they would not be allowed to rescue animals, thus allowing those inhumane conditions to continue.

In addition, 81% of rescue groups that have tried to work with more than one shelter said that different shelters have different rescue access policies, with more than half of those respondents saying that criteria for saving animals changes depending on what staff is on duty or whether staff changes. This creates inefficiency and limits the number of animals who can and should be saved.

Visit www.floridarescueact.com for more information on how to support this bill.

SOURCE No Kill Nation