FOCUS: $1 million challenge to fuel no-kill effort to save animals

Via Charleston Animal Society.

Staff reports  |  The Charleston Animal Society on Sunday announced plans to make South Carolina become a “no-kill state” for animals by 2024 through a $1 million challenge grant from the Petco Foundation. 

“Our efforts with No Kill South Carolina over the past six years have made tremendous gains in the fight to save animals in every corner of the state,” said Charleston Animal Society President and CEO Joe Elmore during the organization’s 147th annual meeting. “The trending shows that we can make this groundbreaking initiative a reality by 2024.”

According to the society, “no kill” is a term used in animal welfare that refers to the goal of saving “all healthy and treatable dogs and cats, typically about 90 percent.” No-kill communities do not euthanize animals for space. Instead, they use data-driven and research-based strategies to bring euthanasia rates down and improve the quality of care for animals.  

Since No Kill South Carolina began six years ago, animal shelters across the state have saved more than 500,000 animal lives with 30,000 fewer animals euthanized, something the society said was unheard of in the South, a region historically plagued with high euthanasia rates.

“No Kill was introduced in the collective sense, as in building a No Kill nation; however, some animal shelters co-opted the term and proclaimed themselves No Kill shelters for fundraising advantages, making the concept shelter-centric instead of community-centric, which has led to much division in the animal welfare community,” Elmore said.  “Unnecessary euthanasia, like homelessness, illiteracy, hunger and other social issues, are community issues requiring everyone to work together to overcome.”

The society’s statewide initiative is funded through a challenge grant from the Petco Foundation, which has been fueling the efforts of No Kill South Carolina since the beginning. Now with the goal in sight, the foundation is making a $1 million challenge, which Petco Foundation President Susanne Kogut said could be achieved by 2024 if S.C. organizations work together. The effort now becomes “No Kill South Carolina 2024” to culminate with Charleston Animal Society’s 150th anniversary. 

 According to the society, when No Kill South Carolina was started six years ago, 19 percent of dogs and 47 percent of cats were euthanized in shelters across the state. After effective collaborations, innovative adoption strategies and other leading practices among shelters around the state, the euthanasia rate of dogs has dropped more than half to 8 percent and to 18 percent for cats.

“The progress is amazing, but we still have substantial work to do, especially in saving more felines from euthanasia,” said No Kill South Carolina Program Director Abigail Appleton “None of this would be possible without the amazing input and efforts from shelters across South Carolina.”

To help, Appleton suggested that South Carolinians should “go to your local shelter and let them know you’d like to help. You can adopt, volunteer or donate and help us all reach this tremendous achievement.”

• For more information, visit www.CharlestonAnimalSociety.org.
• To view the society’s 147th annual meeting, watch here.
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