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| Courtesy Google Images |
With almost 200 million dollars
in the bank the aspca has terminated their animal cruelty law enforcement
department lamenting that it is too small to handle the demand. Now it will be
up to the New York Police Department (NYPD) to worry about cruelty to animals
and respond accordingly.
I have never been silent
regarding my disgust at the aspca amassing such funds by advertising outside
New York and capitalizing from the widespread misimpression that they are a
national umbrella organization that distributes resources to spcas in every
state. Despite requests from spcas across the country to duly inform the public
of this fact, they have steadfastly refused and so donors believing they are
helping animals in their respective communities are often horrified to learn
their gifts went to New York instead. This is particularly unfortunate in the
estate arena where it is too late to correct the error.
But this is a stunning
development. Can they not afford to expand their department and collaborate
with local enforcement agencies? If they choose not to - what is their actual
mission besides fundraising?
The New
York Post recently
reported that, in fact, NYPD is NOT responding to animal cruelty complaints and
"may never do so". Meanwhile during this brutal winter on the east
coast the animals must fend for themselves in the sub-freezing temperatures and
snow.
So what is their new mission?
Is it initiating lawsuits to protect animals? Last I looked they had to pay
Feld Entertainment (Ringling Brothers) 9.2 million dollars to settle a lawsuit
where it came out that the aspca improperly paid the plaintiff in the case.
Is it sheltering animals? Not
so much after they stopped providing animal control services and now without
their law enforcement department they may see fewer seized and rescued animals.
Is it merely acting as a
corporate sponsor of rock and roll marathons or awarding a de minimus amount of
out of state grants so they feed the national umbrella myth by appearing to be
present in other states?
Is it, to paraphrase their
television commercial, searching for hurt and abused animals in every dark
corner? I invite them to look outside their doors.
So what is their new mission?
Just wondering....
