September
1996
The
Center for Animal Care and Control: Problems and Opportunities?
By Susan Kalev
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On Wednesday August 8, a press conference
was held on the steps of City Hall to discuss the future of the
Center for Animal Care and Control (CACC), which has come under
fire for doing an inadequate job of sheltering and placing New
York City animals. The gathering included former CACC employees,
volunteers, animal rescuers, Councilwoman Kathryn Freed, the
media, and several adoptable companion animals. Susan Kalev reports
on the solutions the speakers envisioned.
In a joint press release issued at the gathering, the Animal
Connection, United Action for Animals, the Coalition for New
York City Animals, New
Yorkers for Companion Animals, and the Animal Adoption League, cited "incompetent
management and horrendous conditions at New York City's animal shelters." They
announced that their complaints had been met by City officials' "deaf
ears" and that they had resolved to go public.
City councilmember Kathryn Freed, outspoken critic of the CACC
and sponsor of Intro. 3-2-1 [see "Intro. 3-2-1" sidebar], said
that the CACC was out of control and recommended the professionalization
of the agency
with public accountability. She said that the best things for activists
to do were to write public letters of outrage to the mayor en masse demanding
immediate restructuring of the CACC. Freed is requesting that the City
Council's Health and Contracts Committee investigate CACC operations.
Former CACC employees Dara Foster, Pam Ferdin, and Sara Lee, all documented
deplorable conditions and offered solutions. Ferdin spoke for many when
she recommended high-volume, in-house spay-neuter programs in City shelters,
educational outreach, new shelters in accessible areas, and a nationwide
search for humane and progressive shelter staff.
Gary Kaskel, a member of the Animal Connection and Friends of
Ferrets, called the heavily-criticized Child Welfare Administration "Disneyland" compared
to the CACC. He condemned the secrecy and unresponsiveness of the CACC
and called for a new contract that includes public oversight. Kaskel
also pleaded for a new board of directors independent of City commissioners.
Together with attorney Robert Perry, Kaskel is pledging to file a class-action
lawsuit to challenge the CACC's and the Department of Health's denial
of the freedom of information act. Perry is also committed to taking
on various conflicts of interest within the CACC: including Marty Kurtz's
appoinment as executive director of the CACC while an employee of the
Department of Health, and CACC board member Margaret Hamburg being the
Health Commissioner.
In a separate press release, Elizabeth Forel of the Coalition for New
York City Animals called for an independent Department of Animal Affairs,
and a panel of experienced animal experts to evaluate and recommend policies.
Liz Grayson, of the Animal Connection, agreed that the CACC needed to
be run by people aware of animal issues and called for urgent improvements
in the facilities.
All the speakers at the press conference urged the City Council to investigate
current CACC operations. The consensus solution arrived at by City officials,
former CACC employees, and activists is that this CACC administration
has to be replaced by top professionals who will remain accountable to
the public. Councilmember Freed said that a City-run agency would be
more advantageous than a private one as long as there was real accountability.
Opinions differed on priorities, but the plea to change conditions on
all fronts - structural, psychological, legal, and political - was unanimous
and urgent.
For what you can do, go to "How to Be an Activist."
Intro 3-2-1.
This bill, sponsored by councilmember Kathryn
Freed and currently awaiting debate in the City Council, attempts
to legislate a number of things on behalf of New York City's companion
animals. It would:
require by law that all people spay and neuter their dogs and cats to cut
down on over-population;
require all shelters to spay/neuter before releasing any animal for adoption;
discourage breeding at a time when over 40,000 cats and dogs are euthanized
in shelters and thousands more die on New York City streets;
set up a citywide computerized lost and found system to reunite lost animals
with their families.
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