Wednesday, April 23, 2014 – New York, NY – New York City is nearer than ever to becoming a “no-kill” city, says the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals (the Alliance) in its just-published 2013 Progress Report.
The report, which details the progress made during the last year by the Alliance, a non-profit coalition of more than 150 animal shelters and rescue groups, reveals that euthanasia at Animal Care & Control of NYC (AC&C) declined for the tenth straight year, giving New York the lowest euthanasia rate per capita of any major U.S. city for the second consecutive year.
Jane Hoffman, president of the Alliance, said, “Through the efforts of our robust community coalition, we have transformed the way New York City treats its homeless animals and dramatically reduced the number of such animals who are killed each year. In the process, we have made New York a model of the kind of collaborative effort needed to save lives on a broad scale.”
The Alliance is a private 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization. It is not a City agency.
Below are highlights of how the Alliance and its member organizations are transforming New York City into a community where homeless animals have the promise of safe and loving homes:
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Click on the images above to view larger versions of these charts documenting our 2003–2013 progress toward a no-kill New York City.
Significantly fewer animals are being killed.
In 2013, euthanasia of cats and dogs at AC&C dropped to an historic low, to 6,124 from 31,701 a decade ago. Behind the more than 80 percent decline is the success of the Alliance and its member groups, which include AC&C, in finding homes for more than 250,000 dogs and cats.
Transfer is the most effective tool for saving animal lives.
In 2013, of the 29,061 cats and dogs entering AC&C shelters, 51 percent, or 14,732, were transferred to partner rescue organizations dedicated to finding them homes — an increase of 167 percent from 2003, when 5,519 animals were transferred. Wheels of Hope, the Alliance’s transport fleet, carried the vast majority of these transferred animals in 2013, and has ferried almost 70,000 dogs and cats since the program’s 2005 launch — all at no cost to the groups and individuals served.
Spay/neuter efforts continue to drive down euthanasia.
Ensuring the availability of free and low-cost spay/neuter services has been critical to the Alliance’s success. In 2013, 60,000 surgeries were performed by Alliance member organizations, with the ASPCA alone handling more than 43,500 surgeries and The Humane Society of New York and The Toby Project contributing their veterinary services in significant numbers.
Feral Cat Initiative helps communities manage overpopulation crisis.
The Alliance’s New York City Feral Cat Initiative continued to reach out to feral cat caretakers in 2013, providing local communities with strategies and tools to manage cat overpopulation through Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR). The Alliance’s popular and free TNR-related workshops are given both locally and around the country.
Veterinary care for almost 1,000 cats and dogs.
In 2013, the Mayor’s Alliance Medical Fund, which is supported entirely by private donations, paid for care for 1,000 sick and injured cats and dogs awaiting adoption.
About the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals®
The Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charity that works with more than 150 partner rescue groups and shelters to offer important programs and services that save the lives of NYC’s homeless animals. We are supported entirely by donations from foundations, corporations, and individuals and receive no government funding. Since our founding in 2003, we have remained committed to transforming New York City into a no-kill community by 2015, meaning that no dogs or cats of reasonable health and temperament will be killed merely because they do not have homes. www.AnimalAllianceNYC.org
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