by Mark Chesnut - Thursday, May 23, 2024
This NRA Hunters’ Leadership Forum website reported last year on how the anti-hunting “animal rights” group known as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals—PETA—had killed more than 45,000 dogs, cats and other pets at the group’s animal shelter in Virginia since the watchdog group PETA Kills Animals began keeping track in 1998. Now, according to a new report, in a hold-my-beer type of one upmanship, PETA euthanized more pets in 2023 than any other single year in the last 26 years.
The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) requires all animal shelters to report the number of cats and dogs they take in each year. The records indicate how many cats and dogs were reclaimed by their owners, adopted, out transferred to other Virginia releasing agencies, transferred to out-of-state releasing agencies, died of natural causes or were euthanized.
According to the department’s 2023 annual report, PETA euthanized 2,471 animals in 2023, nearly 400 more than the previous year and nearly 800 more than in 2021.The shelter took in a total of 3,136 animals last year, so a little simple math reveals a 79 percent death rate for animals entrusted to PETA’s care. Only about 1 percent of the animals surrendered to the organization in 2023 were successfully adopted.
Incidentally, that euthanasia number is much higher than that of most shelters in the surrounding area. Private animal shelters in Virginia report that they euthanize at a rate of about 10 percent, nearly eight times less than the “compassionate” and “ethical” folks at PETA.
This mass killing of pets forfeited to PETA’s shelter for various causes is nothing new and has come under fire in the past. In fact, a 2010 inspection report concerning the organization’s Virginia animal shelter likened the shelter to a “euthanasia clinic” and attempted to revoke PETA’s license to operate a shelter.
After the inspection, Dr. Daniel Kovich, an investigator with the VDACS, concluded: “The findings of this site visit support the assertion that PETA does not operate a facility that meets the statutory definition of an animal shelter as the primary purpose is not to find permanent adoptive homes for animals.”
If only PETA “cared” about pets as much as it pretends to care about the game animals legally and ethically hunted by millions of American sportsmen and women. The section on hunting on the group’s website states: “Hunting might have been necessary for human survival in prehistoric times, but today most hunters stalk and kill animals merely for the thrill of it, not out of necessity. This unnecessary, violent form of ‘entertainment’ rips animal families apart and leaves countless animals orphaned or badly injured when hunters miss their targets.”
As we’ve concluded in the past, PETA apparently only cares about animals when such “caring” is likely to line the pockets of its rich upper management with donations. As for those unfortunate dogs and cats brought to its Virginia animal shelter each year by people hoping to save them, they’re simply nuisance animals that PETA would just as soon kill as put an effort toward saving.