**********VOLUNTEERS FOR ANIMALS IN TENNESSEE*************
WORLD FOCUSES ON LIVE ANIMAL DISPOSAL CHUTES IN TENNESSEE AS TEMPERATURES SOAR
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For Immediate Release Contact: Lisa Preston
August 4, 1999 (615) 641-3358
Billie Danford
(615) 459-0243
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SMYRNA, TENNESSEE-Despite three years of ongoing protests, live animal disposal
drop bins are still being used to collect the unwanted pets of Rutherford County,
Tennessee (including sites in Murfreesboro and Smyrna). This inhumane means of
getting rid of unwanted animals is being allowed by the County Commission as well
as the Director of Animal Control who share jurisdiction over animal control/welfare
of Rutherford County.
World-wide attention has been focused on the problem since the arrival of a free-lance
photojournalist from Kiel, Germany, Bert Toporzisek started documenting this atrocity
several months ago and has made his footage available free to networks and affiliates.
Graphic footage shows such scenes as a father holding up his young son in order to
drop a dog down the chute, a deputy sheriff putting an injured dog inside the bins and
a dead kitten who broke its neck in the two-foot fall from the chute to the concrete
floor.
The drop bins in the Smyrna location are in a small, concrete building located next to
the county recycling center and dump site. The bins are without staffing, heat/air
conditioning, or adequate ventilation. The bins are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
, however, animals are only checked twice daily by the Murfreesboro main office. Three
drop bin chutes exist - one for cats and kittens, one for puppies and small dogs, and
one for large dogs. The chutes are rusty, and spilled food/water are visible inside.
County statistics show that from July 1, 1998 through June 30, 1999 over 1,291 animals
(692 dogs,595 cats,4 others) were disposed of in the Smyrna chutes alone; 1,072
(648 dogs,424 cats) animals were disposed of in the Murfreesboro chutes, with a
total of 2,363 animals put in these bins in Rutherford County.
With heat waves nationwide, local temperatures have ranged from 90 to 100 degrees for
weeks. Last weekend, a local television station lowered a thermometer into one of the
chutes and found it to register 105 degrees (after less than 5 minutes) at 1:00p.m.
in the afternoon. Veterinarians suggest most animals in those conditions would succumb
to heat exposure in less than one hour. In fact, a local radio and television station
demonstrated earlier in the week that they could actually bake cookies on the dashboard
of cars.
There are no statistics available to the public on how many of these animals are dying
from heat exhaustion or diseases. Some cruel individuals have also dropped aggressive
animals into the bins, mixed cats with dogs, animals with contagious diseases, and
dropped live snakes inside. County officials and members of the Animal Control/Rabies
Board have refused offers of volunteer assistance, monetary funds (including money from
The Humane Society of the United States), free local construction labor & materials, and
even several fans donated for the shelter. Thousands of letters, e-mails and petitions
have circulated worldwide, however,this practice still continues. Thousands of Rutherford
County residents have signed petitions, yet nothing has changed. Coverage even included
a national piece by Montel Williams, Dateline, and a petition coupon in the National
Enquirer.
Meanwhile, people everywhere are asking how local government can allow the abandonment of
live animals (that do feel pain and fear) in this cruel manner. By allowing the continued
existence of these bins, Rutherford County is spreading a message worldwide that everything
in society is “disposable” and teaches our children no responsibility. The story doesn’t
stop there either. It was discussed in last year’s State Legislature, when representatives
tried to remove mandatory rabies vaccinations from the law. Luckily, through the vigilance
of a select group of lawmakers, this issue did not make it out of committee. In 1998,
the Nashville Animal Control Facility was rated as the worst of its kind in the country
with a 98% kill rate. In a few short months since that report local organizations, the
Mayor and City Council members and others have made great strides in improving the facility
. Now, volunteers can donate loving care and attention to the animals, adoptions are on
the increase, and monies have been set-aside to build a new Metro Animal Control building.
Concerned individuals have contacted The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty
to Animals (ASPCA) and the HSUS, the Animal Legal Defense Fund. A rally in Rutherford
County is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, August 28th at 1:00p.m. at the Smyrna facility.
You may contact Lisa Preston at 615-641-3358 for more information.Despite all our best
efforts, we have not been able to close down these drop off sites in Rutherford County.
Therefore, we appeal to you, the media, to draw national attention and shame to this cruel
abomination of living creatures.
!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION AND HELP IN THIS MATTER !!!!!!!!!! (
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