Inside This Issue:
- Ousted Los Angeles Animal Services General Manager Paints a Grim Picture
- Dolphins Transferred to Clearwater Marine Aquarium As Investigation Continues
- Human-Animal Conflict in Kerala Hits Legal, Spiritual Hot Buttons
- News Bites: Testes on Toxoplasmosis; Hoarding; Sled Dog Puppy Cam
Ousted Los Angeles Animal Services General Manager Paints a Grim Picture
According to its ousted former GM, LAAS' problems go deeper than just adopting out aggressive dogs.
Over the last few decades, it seems like Los Angeles Animal Services (LAAS) is regularly in the news for the wrong reasons. Recently, and most dramatically, dog attacks have captured the public’s horrified attention. LAAS shelter volunteers and employees have nearly lost arms, endured Level 5 bites, (Level 6 is death), and a 74 year-old woman's arm was amputated after suffering an attack from a dog with a known bite history that LAAS had adopted out.
Beyond the bites, LAAS is famous for its overcrowded, understaffed shelters and its inability to perform basic animal control and sheltering duties in a way that leaves anybody happy. A lot of people have opinions regarding the sources of LAAS’ problems, and many of them lay the blame on external factors. Things like economic insecurity, housing restrictions, illegal breeding operations, COVID returns (Is this really still a thing?). But recent allegations from Stacey Dains, LAAS’ ousted general manager, paint a picture of a department suffering from dereliction of duty and intractable dysfunction – much of it self-inflicted.
As always, it’s important to consider the source. A fired manager or deposed CEO is always going to tell a different story than the people who replaced them. However, if merely half of Dains’ allegations are true, LAAS' chronic problems suddenly make a lot more sense.
Dains says that during her tenure, employees outright refused to do their jobs, that some employees even “tormented” the animals they were supposed to be caring for, and that the city’s personnel department left her powerless to fire said employees. She also describes a web of supervisors and subordinates engaging in sexual relationships, creating an environment of favors and threats where everybody has “the dirt” on everybody else (unlike neglecting the animals and spraying dogs with hoses, supervisor/subordinate sex may actually be a fireable offense). Meanwhile, the shelter employees and volunteers who are actually focused on helping animals were forced to pick up the slack – an utterly inefficient and toxic recipe that all but guarantees resentment and burnout.
Even simple, common-sense improvements proved impossible in the environment Dains describes. In her Los Angeles Times interview, Dains said her suggestion for tracking shelter feedings and enclosure cleanings – very basic tasks! – was shot down due to union rep concerns that such information might be used to “punish employees.” Really?! Wait a second – if someone is employed to care for the basic welfare of animals, for feeding them and keeping them safe and clean, why shouldn’t they be punished if they don’t perform their duties? How does any of this make sense? Again, we remind readers that this is only one side of the story, but sheesh – What Dains describes isn’t an agency simply failing to meet its animal welfare and public safety obligations so much as a dystopian bureaucratic horror story.
Source: She ran the L.A. animal shelters. Why couldn’t she fix the problems?
Dolphins Transferred to Clearwater Marine Aquarium As Investigation Continues
Rough-toothed dolphin.
Four female rough-toothed dolphins from Gulf World Marine Park – currently under criminal investigation after the deaths of five dolphins – have been relocated to Florida’s Clearwater Marine Aquarium (CMA). Veterinary and animal care teams at CMA are monitoring the animals as they adjust, and the plan is to introduce them to other dolphins once they're settled in. Gulf World’s parent company, The Dolphin Company, is at the center of multiple investigations led by state and federal agencies. Reports cite a string of dolphin deaths, substandard conditions like algae-filled tanks, poor facility maintenance, and understaffing. One dolphin, Jett, died during a public performance from blunt force trauma, with delayed trainer response blamed on murky water. Last October, three dolphins at Gulf World died within a single week, with causes ranging from infections to unspecified life-threatening conditions.
The surviving dolphins were transferred to other facilities, with four now at CMA and seven at Marineland in St. Augustine. This is yet another chapter in the ongoing saga surrounding The Dolphin Company which operates marine parks in Florida and internationally, and recently filed for bankruptcy protection. Whether the investigation will expand to its other Florida locations remains unclear. In March, the Dolphin Company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Delaware, seeking $8 million in financing to restructure its business.
In response to the ongoing investigations, Florida officials have publicly committed to ensuring accountability and protection for marine life, emphasizing collaboration among local, state, and federal authorities to address reported safety and welfare concerns at the park. Notably, Clearwater Marine Aquarium, despite sustaining severe damage from Hurricane Helene, has taken in the dolphins with open arms, and continues to uphold its mission to care for animals in need.
Human-Animal Conflict in Kerala Hits Legal, Spiritual Hot Buttons
Beautiful animal. But unless you are suffering from toxoplasmosis, you probably don't want to invite it into your home.
Human-wildlife conflict has become an increasingly urgent issue in the Indian state of Kerala, where lush forests and agricultural lands border each other. In rural regions, farmers and villagers often find themselves at odds with elephants, wild boars, and other animals that stray into their fields and homes, causing damage and sometimes threatening lives. These clashes are less common in Kerala’s densely populated cities, but the impacts in the countryside are profound – touching on livelihoods, safety, and deep cultural values.
Addressing these conflicts requires navigating both legal complexities and the moral principles rooted in Kerala’s traditions. Kerala’s cabinet has decided to ask the central government for permission to kill wild animals that threaten people or property, particularly in rural areas where encounters with wildlife are more common than in the state’s crowded cities. Legal experts note that getting such approval, especially before the upcoming election, is unlikely, since the Indian government has already refused similar requests. While the law allows wildlife wardens to order the killing of dangerous animals, the process is slow and requires a report proving the animal is a threat in a populated area.
Even appointed and elected officials face challenges: their orders can conflict with the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, so they must seek additional permissions. On top of legal and political hurdles, making a request to kill nuisance animals is even more difficult in a state where the principle of ahimsa, or non-violence, shape attitudes toward animals. In Hindu culture, which is deeply rooted in Kerala, harming living beings goes against spiritual values. For many villagers who face real threats from wild animals, the debate is not just about law, but about balancing safety and security with their traditional principles of non-violence.
News Bites: Testes on Toxoplasmosis; Hoarding; Sled Dog Puppy Cam
Racing Pigeons
You’ve no doubt already heard about the danger that toxoplasmosis poses to infants. You may have also heard about the way it scrambles rodent brains, causing them to lose their fear of – even become attracted to – cats. Well, hold on to your hats, because that may not be all, folks! New research shows that Toxoplasma gondii – the parasite that causes toxoplasmosis – also directly damages sperm cells, and may cause infertility in men. Yikes! OK, fellas – make sure to properly cook your meat and clean your utensils and cutting boards... and keep that litter box clean!
Another week, another horrific case of animal hoarding. Actually, make that three total cases. First, there were two separate instances of hoarding broken up in Houston, Texas – within less than 24 hours of each other! If you follow hoarding cases (unfortunately, we have to), neither home was anything you haven’t already seen or heard described before, but the grand total of 82 animals (72 dogs, 9 cats, 1 bird) that need immediate care and will eventually need to be rehomed undoubtedly puts a strain on local resources.
Now, the third case is really quite odd. In Oklahoma, after a renter was evicted from a house, 55 pigeons and two dogs were discovered abandoned inside the home. In this instance, the home was not described as “filthy” or “deplorable” as is typical for hoarding cases. And in an even more unusual twist, whoever was keeping all these animals actually seemed to be taking pretty good care of them. That’s a nice surprise, though it doesn’t excuse abandoning the animals. The way this has been reported also raises questions about the definition of hoarding itself. While described as a hoarding case, if a person is capable of caring for an unusually large number of animals (at least up until the point when they’re evicted), is it actually animal hoarding? Two key components of animal hoarding, both of which are infinitely more important than the number of animals kept, are 1) a person’s inability to care for their animals, and 2) a person’s unwillingness or inability to recognize the fact that they can’t care for their animals. Ultimately – and we know we’re mostly just splitting hairs here – this would more accurately be described as abandonment, rather than hoarding. Either way, this was definitely a strange day for the sheriff’s office and local animal rescuers. On the bright side, the unusual backstory of these animals will probably make placing them a little less difficult.
When people think of sled dogs, they often think of Balto delivering life saving medicine in a blizzard to remote areas of Alaska in the early 20th century. But they often don't realize that sled dogs are still working in remote areas of the United States – and just as important today as they were a century ago! The National Park Service maintains a kennel in Denali National Park with working sled dogs that are critical in helping rangers patrol the park, preserve its natural and cultural resources, and ensure the safety of visitors throughout the winters.
“But how does this directly help someone like me who isn’t trudging through the snow,” you ask? Well, how about this: the Denali Sled Park Kennels recently welcomed a litter of five new puppies and you can watch them on a live puppy cam! What a wonderful way to showcase working dogs and their importance in the human-animal bond.
Also in the News...
★ Saint Louis Zoo turning tornado damage into toys and treats for animals (Turning a Mess Into a Meal)
★ New bill looks to regulate service animals in Wisconsin (The Battle Over Fake Service Animals Continues)
★ Healing Hearts Therapeutic Farm connects people with animals (The Healing Power of Goats)
★ Horses, goats seized in Polk County animal cruelty case, 5 arrested: 'Deplorable' (Major Operation & Multiple Arrests)
★ Celebrate the world’s tallest animals during World Giraffe Day at the OKC Zoo (Meet the Animals; Some Real Tall Tails)
★ Exotic animals you can own in Tennessee (Zebras; One on the Run)
★ Dog surrenders are soaring at Denver Animal Shelter (Adoption Lists; Rescue & Shelter News)
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