AR-News: (AU) RSPCA defends itself

[Animalara2003 at aol.com]

Monday, 1 March 2004

By CARMEN SWADLING 

THE state head of the RSPCA has launched a stinging attack on those people 
who claim the organisation is operating a kill and chill policy at the Port 
Macquarie branch, calling them "a cancer in animal welfare".
Bernie Murphy, chief executive officer of the RSPCA's NSW network responded 
to claims aired in Friday's Port News that the branch was failing to save 
animals from death row and operating a 'slaughterhouse', calling them mischievous 
and unwarranted.
A former branch member said she believed too many animals were being 
euthanased because the RSPCA was not taking on as many from the pound.
In the past, she said, every animal offered to the branch was saved.
But Mr Murphy said the Port Macquarie branch had gone through a considerable 
transition period and the new committee now had a "good grasp on reality".
He said the previous management's philosophy on re-homing, where they "saved 
everything" was irresponsible and inappropriate.
"These people are a cancer in terms of animal welfare," he said.
He also labelled those people wishing to see a policy of no-kill within the 
RSPCA as troglodytes. According to the Macquarie dictionary that is "people 
thought to be primitive, barbaric, unintelligent or insensitive". 
He said the philosophy of no-kill shelters was totally unrealistic.
Mr Murphy said the Port Macquarie shelter has one of the lowest euthanasia 
rates in the state. 
"These claims have been driven by people who have an unrealistic, 
irresponsible and naive expectations about re-homing every animal that arrives at our 
shelters.
"A ‘no-kill' policy sounds a wonderful idea but in theory does not work. 
"Someone is left to deal with the problem of unwanted animals, and that ‘
someone', in most cases, is the RSPCA."
Mr Murphy said not only is there a lack of homes for unwanted animals, the 
RSPCA has a policy of not adopting aggressive or unhealthy animals into the 
community. 




full story:

http://portmacquarie.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?class=news&subclass=local&cat
egory=general%20news&story_id=289186&y=2004&m=3
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