Problems Of Animal Organizations

We need to talk about the elephant in the room: how some animal rescue organizations do not help as much as they can. In a perfect world, we would not need animal rescue groups to ensure that animals are being treated humanely. In the imperfect world that we live in, we have groups that have stepped up to fight for the rights of animals. However, even these organizations have their fair share of shortcomings. Here are some of the problems of animal organizations.

Problems with animal shelters

Animal shelters and humane societies are nonprofits dedicated to finding new homes for stray animals and advocating against animal cruelty. Each Humane Society operates independently of one another and obtains funding of its own accord. Unfortunately, Humane Societies cannot keep up with the hundreds to thousands of animals that rotate through kill shelters. These organizations rely on volunteers to care for the shelter animals and donations to keep their doors open.

With funding in short supply, Humane Societies often only take in animals that they deem “adoptable.” Unadoptable animals stay at kill shelters where they are euthanized because Humane Societies do not have the space, funding, or workforce to take in every homeless animal.

However, the process of determining if an animal is adoptable is also flawed. Animals are under duress at animal shelters and will behave differently than if they were at home. Animal shelters are high-stress environments that cause dogs and cats to lash out aggressively or appear unsociable. The result is perfectly normal dogs and cats being euthanized after they are labeled as unadoptable.

Commercial animal Organizations

Zoos that carry accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums maintain a high standard of care for animals, educate the public on animal welfare, and keep endangered animals from becoming extinct in the wild. This accreditation is not easy to achieve because it requires that the zoo meets a high standard of animal welfare verified by a multi-day inspection by the Associate of Zoos and Aquariums.

There are also copious amounts of fly-by-night zoos that are not accredited, and they house animals in poor living conditions. These zoos do more harm than good when supporting the animal rights movement.

However, not all accredited zoos maintain a high standard of living for animals. For example, SeaWorld is accredited, and yet it houses its marine mammals in enclosures that are far too small. These animals develop stress habits and depression in these small, cruel enclosures.

Animal breeders contribute to animal overpopulation. There are millions of stray animals in need of homes, so there is no need to breed additional animals. Every animal purchased from an animal breeder is one less that will be adopted from an animal shelter.

Veterinarians and Animal Hospitals

Studies show that 1 in 6 veterinarians has contemplated suicide (source). Veterinarians are three times more likely to die from suicide than the public. This is due to the crushing student loan debt from veterinary school, burnout from being overworked, and having to euthanize perfectly healthy animals.

Veterinarians are for-profit businesses, and they cannot perform treatments on animals for free. Life-saving operations are often too costly for pet owners to afford, so the only available option is euthanizing the animal. Veterinarians desperately want to save every animal they come across, but their business would go under in quickly if they worked for free.

Independent Animal Rescues

Nobody wants to go to work having to decide which animal lives and which one dies. However, that is the reality for workers at animal rescue groups. Due to a lack of funding and staffing, they must make difficult decisions daily. Animals are left in kill shelters because there is no room or resources at the animal rescue groups.

Obtaining funding for animal rescue groups is not easy. These organizations are staffed mainly by volunteers, but the process of applying for funding is lengthy. An extensive request for application (RFP) must be filled out when applying for grants. Dedicating personnel to grant writing is one less staff member available to care for the animals.

It is also difficult for smaller organizations to get noticed. Most federal and commercial grants are awarded to larger nonprofits. These smaller animal rescue groups have a more challenging time competing for grants against organizations with a dedicated staff of grant-writing lawyers on retainer.

Conclusion

Animal support groups try to do their best with the little they have. Unfortunately, not every homeless animal can be saved from animal shelters due to a lack of resources.

You can make a difference in an animal’s life by volunteering at your local rescue group or donating supplies. Boycott commercial operations, such as SeaWorld, and refuse to purchase dogs or cats from animal breeders. Boycotting inhumane practices with your money and purchasing decisions is one of the best ways to make a difference in the fight for animal rights.