Action News 5 - Memphis, TennesseeProtesters express outrage with Memphis Animal Shelter

Protesters express outrage with Memphis Animal Shelter

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MEMPHIS, TN -

(WMC-TV) - Animal activists took to the streets of Memphis Sunday to express their frustrations with the Memphis Animal Shelter.

Protesters covered the four corners of the Poplar and Highland intersection.  They are outraged over the kill rate at the shelter.

"I think there are too many animals that are needlessly killed," said protester Ona Cooper.

Some accused the shelter of singling out Pit Bulls or dogs that resemble them.

Cindy Sanders with Community Action for Animals said shelter employees notified city division leaders in January that the shelter animals were starving.  Sanders said when the complaint was not addressed by February, a shelter employee reported the problem to police.

"According to the vet records, they went in under normal weight conditions, and now when the charge was made, they were skin and bones," said Sanders.

Organizers said the shelters needs to find alternatives to killing healthy, treatable animals.

"I think that there is something called a no kill equation, and I think they need to look at that," said Cooper.  "They need to look at more fosters, more volunteers.  They need to have an aggressive spay/neuter program, and they need to have a compassionate director."

Some protesters said the only way to solve the problem is to privatize the shelter.

In December, the city officially submitted a bid to turn the shelter over to a private owner.  When no offers were made, it was determined the city would hire a new animal serviced administrator.

Copyright 2012 WMC-TV. All rights reserved.

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