Overcrowding in shelters kills....

The mushrooming of animal shelters in Johor Bahru and Singapore has prompted me to write this article.

My belief is that although our emotional investment is what drives many of us in this field, the animals that we care for so much about can best be served when we translate our compassion into a logical and systematic approach to medical care in a shelter.

Shelter Management 

• the effect of overcrowding is numerous.
• intensifies the effect of many other negative factors, such a noise and stress for the animals.
• more stressful for street animals that are so used to the free roaming life.
• increases the contact rate between animals and increases overall amount of disease in the population.
• increases the likelihood that a symptomatic carriers of disease will be present in the population and will be shedding diseases at any given time.
• makes it hard or impossible to practice good husbandry.
• leads to ever more crowding if staff and volunteers is do overwhelmed by the animals' daily care.

Crowding is not just a matter of cage space. Overcrowding occurs when the number of animals outstrips the shelter staff's ability to care for each animal appropriately, even if not every cage is full.

Overcrowding Kills if the shelter has no isolation protocol.

Below are pictures of the conditions of one of the shelters in Malaysia. These animals are just PRISONERS of your kindness or love.

Contributed by Raymund Wee