City officials plan to close the Muncie Animal Shelter due to the city’s budget constraints.
Mayor Sharon McShurley proposed to keep the shelter open by cutting the staff from eight employees down to two. However, the City Council voted to proceed with the closing of the shelter, explaining that it would still be drastically understaffed. When asked if involved in any efforts to keep the shelter open, McShurley responded that she is “actively trying to come up with a solution.”
The Muncie Animal Shelter currently houses 75 animals and was responsible for bringing in 3,405 loose animals this year. The task of finding homes for the animals falls on the shoulders of Shelter Coordinator Linda Bir-Conn.
The Muncie Animal Shelter is scheduled to close at the end of the month.
Muncie Animal Shelter Forced To Close (Print Story)
City officials plan to close the Muncie Animal Shelter due to the city’s budget constraints.
Mayor Sharon McShurley proposed to keep the shelter open by cutting the staff from eight employees down to two. However, the City Council voted to proceed with the closing of the shelter, explaining that it would still be drastically understaffed. When asked if involved in any efforts to keep the shelter open, McShurley responded that she is “actively trying to come up with a solution.”
The Muncie Animal Shelter currently houses 75 animals and was responsible for bringing in 3,405 loose animals this year. The task of finding homes for the animals falls on the shoulders of Shelter Coordinator Linda Bir-Conn.
With the end of the semester and Christmas break approaching, many Ball State students will travel home for the holiday. Around this time of year the shelter experiences an increase of strays. This is a concern for pet owner David Buckler, a junior at Ball State.
“The decision to close the animal shelter is a very poor decision,” Buckler said, “especially with break coming up.” Buckler’s main concern with the shelter closing is that students who are unable to take care of their pets will no longer have a place to drop them off.
News of the shelter closing is circulating fast around Ball State campus. Students are utilizing social networking sites to find homes for the animals that are currently at the shelter. Noel Sucese, founder of BABA (Barely Alive Bunny Adoptions), is a student and an animal rights advocate who has volunteered at the shelter in the past. Sucese created a group online called the Coalition to Save the Muncie Animal Shelter. There, she encourages students to get involved and contact City Council Members about their concerns. “There has got to be a better way,” Sucese said. “This is devastating to the community and completely unacceptable.”
Animal shelters all over the country are overcapacity and short-staffed. The Humane Society estimates that of the 30 million dogs and cats born in the United States each year, 12 million will end up in shelters. In addition to the routine capture of strays, there has been an influx of pet abandonment at shelters. Many pet owners can no longer afford to feed their animals or are forced to move to apartments where pets are not allowed. Although there is no way to know for sure, the hard economic times are one explanation for the increase in animal abandonment.
The poor condition of the abandoned animals puts an additional strain on the already understaffed shelters. Many of the animals come in with severe ailments such as ringworm, fleas, and mange. These animals require special handling, as well as constantly cleaning the facility to avoid the spread of diseases.
The Muncie Animal Shelter is scheduled to close at the end of the month.
Mayor Sharon McShurley proposed to keep the shelter open by cutting the staff from eight employees down to two. However, the City Council voted to proceed with the closing of the shelter, explaining that it would still be drastically understaffed. When asked if involved in any efforts to keep the shelter open, McShurley responded that she is “actively trying to come up with a solution.”
The Muncie Animal Shelter currently houses 75 animals and was responsible for bringing in 3,405 loose animals this year. The task of finding homes for the animals falls on the shoulders of Shelter Coordinator Linda Bir-Conn.
With the end of the semester and Christmas break approaching, many Ball State students will travel home for the holiday. Around this time of year the shelter experiences an increase of strays. This is a concern for pet owner David Buckler, a junior at Ball State.
“The decision to close the animal shelter is a very poor decision,” Buckler said, “especially with break coming up.” Buckler’s main concern with the shelter closing is that students who are unable to take care of their pets will no longer have a place to drop them off.
News of the shelter closing is circulating fast around Ball State campus. Students are utilizing social networking sites to find homes for the animals that are currently at the shelter. Noel Sucese, founder of BABA (Barely Alive Bunny Adoptions), is a student and an animal rights advocate who has volunteered at the shelter in the past. Sucese created a group online called the Coalition to Save the Muncie Animal Shelter. There, she encourages students to get involved and contact City Council Members about their concerns. “There has got to be a better way,” Sucese said. “This is devastating to the community and completely unacceptable.”
Animal shelters all over the country are overcapacity and short-staffed. The Humane Society estimates that of the 30 million dogs and cats born in the United States each year, 12 million will end up in shelters. In addition to the routine capture of strays, there has been an influx of pet abandonment at shelters. Many pet owners can no longer afford to feed their animals or are forced to move to apartments where pets are not allowed. Although there is no way to know for sure, the hard economic times are one explanation for the increase in animal abandonment.
The poor condition of the abandoned animals puts an additional strain on the already understaffed shelters. Many of the animals come in with severe ailments such as ringworm, fleas, and mange. These animals require special handling, as well as constantly cleaning the facility to avoid the spread of diseases.
The Muncie Animal Shelter is scheduled to close at the end of the month.
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