Miami Dade Animal Services Leaves Bagged Carcasses Exposed to Heat, Rain

On July 6th, in the aftermath of holiday weekend killing at Miami Dade Animal Services, a disposal truck parked behind the shelter was stacked high with bagged carcasses of homeless pets (these are the trucks that come in twice daily to cart away the many dead). The truck sat, in the boiling Miami heat, overnight – with no refrigeration. Then, it rained.

Concerned rescuers attempted to contact MDAS officials for an explanation (and to inquire about the many health risks involved in such a scenario), but as of yet have received no response.

The following day, rescuers were appalled to see bagged bodies lying on the sidewalk behind the shelter, exposed again to the heat and rain.

The below photos show the bags on the sidewalk and after being loaded onto the truck.

As the Journal of the American Veterinary Association (JAVMA) says, “An animal carcass is composed of microbiologically active material that may contain viruses, bacteria, protozoa, parasites, prions, toxins, drug residues, and other chemicals. All of the biologically active materials need to be reduced to safe amounts, eliminated, or sequestered to minimize their potential hazard.”

Does lying on a sidewalk in the hot summer temps sound like an effective way to reduce biologically active materials?

Obviously the lives of these animals aren’t worth much respect to MDAS leadership – whether dead, or alive. And the health & safety of our community doesn’t look like it’s too high on the priority list, either.

And in the midst of this situation at MDAS, shelters across the country are achieving No Kill success, despite higher per capita intake rates and countless other obstacles. They’re still doing it. They’re not making excuses. They’re not placing the blame on the “irresponsible public”. They just made a commitment to stop the killing – and followed through. Congratulations to one such success story, Austin, Texas – who just celebrated six months of a 90%+ save rate!

If they can do it, so can we. And we won’t settle for anything less. Are you listening, MDAS?!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Animal Advocacy Groups Condemn Mass Slaughter of Cats at Miami Dade Animal Services

Miami, Florida – June 20, 2011: Animal advocates are horrified by the most recent incident in a string of documented cases of abuse, poor conditions and disease outbreaks at Miami Dade Animal Services. The Miami Coalition Against Breed Specific Legislation (MCABSL) and No Kill Nation condemn the recent killing of 81 cats in a single day – a fact which was denied by Miami Dade Animal Services (MDAS) leadership, but has been verified by shelter records.

MCABSL recently learned that MDAS leadership intended to kill over a 100 cats, as a direct result of one solitary case of Panleukopenia – a disease similar to parvovirus in canines. Advocates reached out to MDAS leadership to ask about the situation, and on June 14, 2011, an e mail directly from MDAS Operations Manager Xiomara Mordcovich to a concerned individual stated the following:

“MDAS did not report and did not euthanize over 100 cats/kittens on Saturday due to the case of Panleukopenia.

One cat tested positive for Panleukopenia. The kittens in his cage were also considered exposed and humanely euthanized. High risk kittens with URI, for instance, were also humanely euthanized. At the end of the day, we had 120 cats/kittens available for Sunday’s (next day) adoption, which is higher than average.”

After further investigation of the situation by MCABSL, the shocking discovery was that on Saturday, June 11, 2011, 81 cats and mostly kittens were killed. This left an approximate total of 60 cats/kittens. On the “MDAS Euthanasia Report” for that day, the reasons given were PARVO AND UPPER RESPIRATORY. However, according to Xiomara’s email, there was only one cat that tested positive for the disease. The majority of the cats killed ranged from one to two months of age. There were also 8 dogs killed, and the reasons given were Parvovirus, injury and “aggression”.

And in a horrifying repeat of the slaughter, on Wednesday, June 15, 2011, another 71 cats/kittens were killed. Again, their ages ranged from two to three months. Another eight dogs were also killed, mostly for “aggression”. The total number of animals euthanized on June 11, 2011 was 90, with a price tag to the tax-payers of $334.00. On June 15, 2011, the total number of animals killed was 83, with a price tag to the tax-payers of $194.00. If we were to transition to a No Kill shelter, the costs for this to our community would have been $0.00.

During March’s distemper outbreak, shelter leadership intended to kill all animals who were not removed from the shelter before the disinfection process began. If it weren’t for the tireless efforts of the rescue community, these animals would have died, but people came together and saved hundreds of lives. This recent slaughter of dozens of cats is more of the same from MDAS – shelter leadership demonstrating a complete disregard for the animals under their care.

Following this most recent in a string of abuses and missteps, MCABSL and No Kill Nation are calling for the resignation of Dr. Sara Pizano, to be replaced with a compassionate and hard-working director who will help lead our community to a No Kill future, instead of needlessly slaughtering the homeless pets of Miami-Dade. Please sign and share the petition for her removal: http://www.change.org/petitions/join-the-call-for-miami-dade-animal-services-directors-resignation.

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