Andy Stewart, a KY inmate who worked this spring at the Taylor Co Animal Shelter in Campbellsville on work release, alleges animal abuse in a letter sent to the state, a local humane society and a local TV news station. The claims seem to focus mainly on botched attempts to “euthanize” pets. From Mr. Stewart’s letter:
“Some would stagger around falling and bumping into things, dying slowly.”
Thirty-nine pets were allegedly buried, some still alive, in mass graves on April 7 when the facility’s incinerator was broken. Mr. Stewart claims that other pets were thrown into the working incinerator while alive or shot. The county denies the allegations.
The state referred the case to the Kentucky Board of Veterinary Examiners:
The Kentucky Board of Veterinary Examiners has now asked for and received a response to the allegations from Taylor County and will take up the matter at its next board meeting.
The Animal Legal Defense Fund is also involved:
Scott Heiser, director of the Animal Legal Defense Fund’s criminal justice program, said the only way to know for sure if Stewart’s claims are true is to exhume the animal’s bodies and do autopsies. But Heiser said that can only be ordered by the Kentucky Board of Veterinary Examiners at its hearing December 1.
I will post an update to the case if I come across one.
So horribly sad. Why do so many animal shelters hire people that don’t love animals? Shouldn’t that be a requirement?
This is such an outrage!! I pray that our government will take quick and harsh action! Maybe now we (Kentucky) can get some much needed help in this area! We have next to nothing when it comes to help to fight against animal cruelty and abuse! Please Please Please! update this story as soon as u find anything else out!
Before we are so quick to judge, maybe we should wait and see if this is true. Inmates have been known to be less than truthful from time to time.
I do not understand why the ALDF has not gone after animal control nationwide – hope they can help with this.
This person may be an inmate,but can also still love animals, this needs to be addressed ASAP.
Sadly, if KY’s veterinary board is anything like the rest of them (ha,ha, of course it is), it’s most likely they will say there’s not enough info for them to insist that real info be gathered by necropsy, so they won’t order any of the animals exhumed, so if anything was wrong, it won’t be able to be proved. Lovely circular logic, don’tcha know. Unless the actual people in the actual community insist on transparency and real reform, it’s more than likely things will just be hidden better in the future.
why does the Animal Legal Defense Fund not go after any animal control facilities for killing healthy animals? One case with one animal control facility in one state like NY, CA or any state?
ALDF had some case in Palm Springs against a shelter claiming to be No Kill when it was not.
ALDF will go after cruelty against animals but certainly the killing of millions of healthy dogs and cats by Animal Control should qualify as cruel…ALDF could blaze some trails.