ASPCA spends millions on salaries, little on animals
News and headlines for April 29 - May 5, 2023
These are some of the stories making headlines in animal protection:
As more people turn to rescue and adoption and more shelters embrace progressive policies, the number of communities placing over 95% and as high as 99% of the animals is increasing. In North Carolina:
Polk County reported a 99% placement rate for dogs and 97% for cats.
Lincoln County reported a 96% placement rate for dogs, 96% for cats, and 96% for rabbits and other small pets.
Haywood County reported a 96% placement rate for cats, 93% for dogs, and 100% for rabbits and other small pets.
Rowan County reported a 95% placement rate for dogs, 95% for cats, and 90% for rabbits and other small pets.
Alamance County reported a 96% placement rate for cats and 93% for dogs.
And while even these communities can do better, they, other communities, and the national data prove that animals are not dying in pounds because there are too many, too few homes, or people don’t want the animals. They are dying because people in those pounds are killing them. Replace those people, implement the No Kill Equation, and we can be a No Kill nation today.
On July 8, 2022, two sheriff’s deputies “left their jurisdiction in Shasta County, drove over 500 miles at taxpayer expense, and crossed approximately six (6) separate county lines.” They were pursuing what they claimed was a “criminal case” involving “property” that was allegedly “stolen” or “embezzled.”
The object of the search was Cedar, a pet goat. And the alleged perpetrator was a 9-year-old girl named E.L.
Cedar was part of a 4-H program where children raise and then sell the animals for slaughter. But E.L. came to love Cedar and did not want to part with him. Her desires would count for nothing.
Putting aside that this was, at best, a small claims civil matter hardly worth the filing fee, the age of the girl, the object at issue (a pet goat who held no real market value but meant everything to the 9-year-old), the offer by her family to repay any costs, and in a state which has, in practice, decriminalized most theft-related offenses under Proposition 47, the offer of restitution should have ended the matter.
Instead, the deputies would ultimately seize Cedar and turn him over to the Shasta District Fair, where he was apparently butchered and barbecued, leaving Cedar dead, E.L. traumatized, and 4-H’s creed of teaching truth, kindness, and sympathy in tatters.
A new report finds that “the ASPCA in 2021 had $390 million in revenue and $575 million in assets, including $310 million in investments and $105 million in savings,” but spent very little on helping animals in shelters, about 2%.
Perhaps most striking, the animal welfare group has about $11 million in offshore accounts in the Caribbean, while tax filings show ASPCA CEO Matt Berkshadker rakes in nearly $1 million a year and 259 of his employees make six figures.
It is not the first report to question ASPCA finances. In 2021, CBS News did an exposé on the ASPCA, finding that the organization misleads people nationwide into donating because they think they run or fund local shelters. In the last 10 years, only 7% of the billions raised were used to help animals in other communities/with other SPCAs. The CBS report also found that most donations go back into fundraising. It also noted that ASPCA CEO Matt Bershadker makes well above the CEOs of other non-profits, including the Red Cross, which brings in 10 times the annual revenue.
Unfortunately, the current report and the earlier CBS one missed the bigger story: the ASPCA negligently, recklessly, and even intentionally harms the animals it fundraises on to protect. For example, the ASPCA caused or allowed:
The death of a little dog named Nyla and the emotional torment of the young woman who rescued her.
The death of 20 dogs in the back of their van while transporting them in extreme heat.
And more.
