Call on N.C. Officials to End Gassing; Ask Dems to Ban Gas Chambers in Party Platform
A national movement to end gas chambers is gaining momentum. Click here to read about the explosion in a NC chamber.
Update July 19, 2008: Your calls and letters to North Carolina officials in support of a ban on animal gas chambers are having an effect. Garo Alexanian of Companion Animal Network, reports, "I was told by an attorney at the N.C. General Assembly ..."you slammed N.C. pretty hard. They are feeling the heat big time."
Please keep it up! Contact information is at the end of this article under What You Can Do.
In addition Companion Animal Network has made this plea: Obama's Democratic Campaign is holding party platform recommendation meetings July 19-27 IN EVERY COMMUNITY IN THE COUNTRY. Registration to attend these small 5-10 person meetings is FREE and ENORMOUS INFLUENCE CAN BE OBTAINED ON WHAT GETS INCLUDED IN THE OFFICIAL PARTY PLATFORM BY ATTENDING THE ONE IN YOUR COMMUNITY. You must register at http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/listening.
Simply type in your zip code and the nearest meeting will pop up for you to register and attend. Please go to the brief meeting and request that "END THE GASSING OF PETS" be included in the Democratic party platform. These meetings are for one hour only and are centrally located in most communities.
Please take one hour of your time to do this in memory of all dogs and cats being killed by torture in America's horrific gas chambers.
Garo Alexenian reports, "Some of us have attended the Democrat Party local platform input meetings. At the meeting we attended last night there was almost unanimous support to add 'End the Gassing' to the Democratic platform. Please continue to attend those meetings. ...You do not have to be a Democrat or Obama supporter to attend these meetings to suggest that "End the Gassing" be included in the platform."
Funds are being raised to buy billboard ads specifically across from Oprah's studio.....and in North Carolina.
Alexanian goes on to say, "As for North Carolina, because of the failure to include a ban on gas chambers in the new rules being adopted, we have decided to force the delay of the implementation of ANY of the new rules, and even DEFEAT the new rules if it does not contain the ban on gassing as originally proposed.
"Today, North Carolina residents have filed formal objections to the lack of inclusion of a gas chamber ban, which by N.C. law, will delay the implementation of the entirety of the rules until Jan 31, 2009. Between now and Jan 31, 2009, we must find N.C. State Senate and N.C. House of Representative members to introduce legislation to permanently kill the new rules."
For more on the campaign to end gas chambers in North Carolina and the state department of agriculture's attempt to stop this grass roots movement, read Animal Law Coalition's original report below.
Original report: Animal welfare supporters throughout North Carolina called for a legislative review of proposed rules governing euthanasia of dogs and cats at animal shelters in the state.
A non-profit animal welfare organization, the North Carolina Coalition for Humane Euthanasia, http://www.ncche.com/ is opposing what it calls "last-minute changes" made by Department of Agriculture officials that "take the teeth out of regulations originally intended to ensure the humane treatment of homeless animals." The rules can be found online by clicking here.
A state law passed in 2005 required the Department of Agriculture to establish standards for the care of animals at animal shelters, boarding kennels, pet shops, and public auctions. The law also required that the department adopt rules on the euthanasia of animals and mandate training for any person who participates in the process. This law can be viewed online by clicking here.
Two years later, the North Carolina Department of Agriculture released a proposed set of regulations.
Thousands of North Carolina citizens responded by submitting verbal and written testimony in opposition to the inhumane and dangerous practice of gassing animals for euthanasia. The Agriculture Department later published a new draft of proposed rules that required a phase out of the gas chamber by 2012.
However, the new version of the rules, which has not been published in the North Carolina Register, removes the phase out requirement and lifts restrictions on the use of the gas chamber for sick, injured and geriatric animals. It also eliminates requirements related to training and certification of euthanasia technicians - which can cause unimaginable pain to animals being destroyed.
"The Department has violated the public trust by putting one set of rules before the public and then drastically weakening them behind closed doors," said Shari Strader, board member for NCCHE. "The Agriculture Department must be held accountable for failing to meet its responsibility to the public and its mandate to develop humane euthanasia standards for animals."
North Carolina residents' taxes pay for the salaries of state decision makers, as well as funding county shelters and gas chambers. "I don't think people realize they are footing the bill for the choices that are being made by the Agriculture Department regarding animal welfare issues and euthanasia methods," states Bobbi Parke, animal advocate. "If they only knew half of what is going on in this arena, and that they actually do have a say in choices that are being made for them, they would all immediately contact the Agriculture Department and demand accountability."
The rules would also require shelters using gas chambers to purchase new commercial models. Two North Carolina companies supplying gas chambers to shelters have come under fire, after inspections showed that the machines leaked high levels of carbon monoxide and endangered county employees. Three county employees operating gas chambers in North Carolina have died in recent years.
According to NCCHE, "A quarter of a million cats and dogs are killed in North Carolina animal shelters annually. While most jurisdictions now utilize modern euthanasia practices, more than 30 county facilities continue to use the gas chamber. Extreme animal suffering in the gas chamber is well-documented. These humane concerns were the catalyst for the original rule making process. The question is: why are drastic last minute changes being made, and why are they being made secretly?"
WHAT YOU CAN DO
The NC Rules Review Commission is considering the new version of proposed rules. Concerned citizens may write letters to the Office of Administrative Hearings, Rules Review Commission, 1307 Glenwood Avenue, Raleigh, NC 27605.
Or call Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler at 919-733-7125, and
Chamber of Commerce Pres Lew Ebert at 919-836-1407 and urge them to end the use of animal gas chambers in North Carolina.
Contact for more information: Alice Singh 336-406-0965
Email North Carolina Governor Mike Easley and urge him to request the introduction of legislation which would override the Commissioner of Agriculture's removal of the board's recommendation to end the killing of pets by carbon monoxide gas. Gov. Easley has refused to request this legislation, claiming "aggressive dogs are safer to kill by gas." But actually, it is safer to sedate the animals first and then use a lethal injection. Most shelters use injection to euthanize even aggressive dogs, including 67 of North Carolina's 100 counties. Send Gov. Easley this link.
You can also call or fax a letter to the Governor: 1-800-662-7952 if you live in North Carolina and (919) 733-4240 or (919) 733-5811 for out of state calls; Fax (919) 733-2120.
Gas Chanber Usage
Maybe the gas chambers should be used on the mill breeders, the politicians that continue to allow this, and the ignorant throw away society that just perpetuates the overpopulation
"Secret Removal of Gas Chamber Ban"
That statement is false and misleading. The "sundown" provision was never approved as a rule. Knowledge about the removal of that provision has been widely available.
There are enough problems involved with getting benefical animal control rules put into effect in NC. We don't need to alienate NC officials by falsely accusing them of engaging in a conspiracy.
An apology should be issued ASAP.
Peter MacQueen, III
Sunset provision on NC gas chamber use
Actually, none of the proposed changes have become enforceable rules. All of these are proposals published for public comment and ongoing consideration by the Board. The sundown provision was included in a second published draft of the proposed rules. Click here for a timeline in which the NC Board of Agriculture agreed there was a draft of the rules issued in Nov. 2007 with a provision banning gas chambers after Jan. 1 2012
In fact, David McLeod, assistant commissioner of the NC Bd of Ag, issued a 2/8/08 News Release stating the Board would consider both versions of the proposed rules: "The department developed two versions of the rules, and the public had the opportunity to comment on both of them last year. The board will not hold a public hearing on the rules at this meeting.
"The board could vote on either version of the rules, or on a combination of the two versions. It is also possible that the board will not take any action on the rules at this meeting."
As reported by NCCHE and Animal Law Coalition, the Board decided not to include the sunset provision, the ban on gas chambers, in the latest version, or even ban the use of the chamber for significantly ill or injured and old animals as contemplated in both earlier drafts. The Board stripped out other proposed regulations on the use of the chamber as described in this article.
Hopefully, your calls and letters will convince the Board to reinstate the ban on the chamber for significantly ill or injured and old animals and also put back in the proposed rules a ban on the gas chamber as a means of euthanasia after Jan. 1, 2012. Laura
Re: animal gas chambers
This is so sick and so inhumane! I think everyone of the sick idiots should have the same thing done to them as they are doing to these poor animals! This is so sick and I wish all these so called officials would open up their eyes and and maybe see how all these psychos in the world are getting their sick ideas! Most of them start from abusing their poor helpless pets and then they move on to people! Animals should have the same rights they are more helpless than we are and deserve to at least be treated with love and kindness!
I think any sick psycho out there that hurts any animal should be dealt with in the same manner! It would be the only way to stop them and others from doing the same thing! Why don't these so called officals pull their heads out of their butts and see they will win more votes if they fight for the animal rights everyone wants so badly and cares so deeply about!
Put a stop to all these inhumane acts and put the psychos away that do them already!!!
Makes me so mad to see this crap going on that I myself would like to take care of a few of the people that are doing it!