HSUS Partner Center of Animal Neglect Scandal
HumaneWatch has long noted that the Humane Society of the United States does not run any animal shelters and only gives about 1% of its budget to help pet sheltering by local groups. As such, our message is often “give local.” But it’s good to do your research on local groups, too. An animal shelter personally visited by $4 Million Man Wayne Pacelle and promoted by HSUS has lost its license for a “systemic failure to adequately care for animals.”
A complaint prompted the North Carolina Department of Agriculture (NCDA) to launch an investigation that found 65 instances of neglect at the Guilford County Animal Shelter (GCAS), operated by United Animal Control. Following the investigation’s conclusion, the NCDA revoked the company’s license to operate the shelter.
NCDA Commissioner Steve Troxler said, “It is extremely rare to revoke a license” and that it was “clear there was an underlying failure to care for sick and injured animals” at the HSUS-endorsed shelter. GCAS had been named twice to HSUS’s “Top Ten Emergency Placement Partners” even though local rescue leaders had long complained about its practices, according to local media reports.
This isn’t the first time HSUS has run into problems after handing animals off to an “emergency placement partner” like Guilford County Animal Shelter.
HSUS was the subject of a $5 million dollar lawsuit related to an illegal raid of dog breeder in South Dakota (the warrant was tossed by a judge). HSUS seized a number of dogs and turned them over to a local shelter. By the time a judge ordered the dogs be returned to the breeder, dozens had become sick and 28 had died.
It’s not known if or how many of the animals HSUS turned over to Guilford County Animal Shelter died, but the shelter had high euthanasia rates of cats and dogs both years it was named a top partner of HSUS – 47% in 2011 and 51% in 2013.
HSUS is sitting on a huge pile of money, having $50 million in Caribbean hedge funds alone. We have to wonder if things couldn’t have been better at GCAS if HSUS had been more generous with its hoard.
