2017

PETA donations were used to kill kittens in 2017. Among the dead are 9-week old kittens, 10-week old kittens, 4-month old kittens, and young, healthy cats, some killed in minutes.

In 2017, PETA continued to act as the functional equivalent of a slaughterhouse, with more than 1,800 defenseless animals dying at the hands of their employees. Just released records submitted to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) by PETA add 1,842 companion animals to the 32,744 documented killings we know have occurred so far at the hands of PETA employees. Tragically, for yet another year, officials at that agency who are tasked with oversight of the Virginia shelters continued to look the other way while PETA killed the vast majority of animals it took in and sought out, including 1,213 cats out of 1,487 cats, 596 out of 956 dogs, almost all the chickens, and more than half of all wild animals it took in.

For those who are inclined to believe PETA’s claims that they need to kill animals because they are a “shelter of last resort,” consider the following:

The open-admission Humane Society of Fremont County, which runs the animal control shelter for seven cities under contract, is a “shelter of last resort.” But its Executive Director makes no excuses: “We don’t have enough money, we’re getting twice the national average for intakes and we’re still saving 99 percent of the animals.” They finished 2017 with a 100% live release rate for rabbits and other small animals, 99.8% for dogs, and 97% for cats.

The Muncie, IN, municipal shelter is a “shelter of last resort.” Its Executive Director not only succeeded in passing a law making Muncie the first city in the U.S. to ban the pound killing of healthy and treatable animals, they finished the year with a 100% live release rate for rabbits and other animals, 99% for dogs, and 97% for cats.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) also calls itself a “shelter of last resort.” But unlike Fremont’s humane society or the Muncie municipal facility, it does not have any animal control functions. And, in fact, it is in a city that does have a municipal shelter which is the true “shelter of last resort.” Indeed, it is surrounded by communities with municipal or municipal-contracted “shelters of last resort.”

And yet, despite taking in fewer animals overall and fewer animals per capita and, unlike Fremont, Muncie, or any of the facilities on the saving90.org website, also taking in $60,000,000+ in donations last year, they killed 1,213 out of 1,487 cats, an 82% death rate. Since PETA refuses to work with No Kill shelters, it sent another 255 cats mostly to pounds. If they were killed or they displaced other cats who were killed, that puts the overall death rate as high as 99% for cats.

PETA also killed 596 out of 956 dogs, a 62% rate of killing. Since PETA refuses to work with No Kill shelters, it sent another 330 mostly to various pounds. If they were killed or they displaced other dogs who were killed, that puts the overall death rate as high as 97% for dogs. That’s actually an improvement for PETA.

They also killed 22 of 24 chickens and other “farmed” animals, a 92% death rate. And they killed 31 out of 52 wild animals, a 60% rate of killing.

The 2017 statistics are available on the VDACS website by clicking here.

For 2016 statistics, click here.

For 2015 statistics, click here.

For 2014 statistics, click here.