WRAL Investigates: Animal euthanasia rates at North Carolina shelters
AVAILABLE ON YOUTUBE TV AND THE
WRAL APP ON YOUR TV OR
STREAMING DEVICE.
IS DISCOURAGING NUMBERS.
ROUGHLY ONE OUT OF EVERY 4
ANIMALS SURRENDERED AT
MUNICIPAL SHELTERS IN NORTH
CAROLINA.
>> BEING EUTHANIZED. 27%.
WRAL INVESTIGATES ANALYZED THE
EUTHANASIA RATES COUNTY BY
COUNTY WANTING TO KNOW WHY THEY
VERY SO MUCH.
>> AND WHAT'S BEING DONE TO
BRING THE NUMBERS DOWN. WRAL
INVESTIGATES SARAH KRUEGER
SHARES WHAT SHE FOUND IN A
STORY YOU'LL SEE ONLY ON WRAL.
>> IT IS HARD TO THINK ABOUT
ANIMALS BEING EUTHANIZED.
THANKFULLY, THEY'RE HAS BEEN
SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS IN
BRINGING THOSE NUMBERS DOWN
STATEWIDE RECENT YEARS. I
TALKED TO THE STATE'S ANIMAL
WELFARE DIRECTOR TO ASK WHAT'S
BEHIND THOSE RIGHTS AND HOW
TO KEEP BRINGING THEM DOWN.
WHEN TIMES ARE TOUGH INSIDE
LOCAL SHELTER USUALLY MEANS
TIMES ARE TOUGH OUTSIDE OF THEM
TO WHAT DIFFERENT FACTORS DO
YOU THINK CONTRIBUTE TO
EUTHANASIA RATES?
>> A LOT OF IT HAS TO DO WITH
THE COMMUNITY ITSELF. DR.
PATRICIA NORRIS IS THE STATE'S
ANIMAL WELFARE DIRECTOR WHO
SAYS THE UNCERTAIN ECONOMY IS
HAVING AN IMPACT. IF A
FAMILY REALIZES.
>> THAT THEY'RE NOT GOING TO
HAVE ENOUGH RESOURCES FOR
THEMSELVES NOT GOING TO TAKE ON
THE RESPONSIBILITY OF CARING
FOR ANOTHER ANIMAL.
>> NUMBER SHARED BY DR NORRIS
SHOW THE STATE'S EUTHANASIA
RATES STARTED TO GO DOWN IN
2010 BOTTOMING OUT IN THE
HEIGHT OF THE PANDEMIC. WHEN
MORE PEOPLE WERE HOME. NOW
THEY'RE TAKING BACK UP
SLIGHTLY. IF THIS PROBLEM HAD
A SOLUTION. WE WOULD HAVE
ALREADY SAW THAT WRAL
INVESTIGATES PULLED THE LATEST
DATA FOR SHELTER. EUTHANASIA
RATES STATEWIDE SHOWING MORE
THAN 20,000 DOGS AND CATS
EUTHANIZED IN 2024. THE HIGHEST
RATES WERE IN NASH, COLUMBUS
AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES.
THE LOWEST WERE IN AN SON.
STANLEY AND MACON COUNTIES.
IS THERE ANY NUMBER AND
EUTHANASIA RATE NUMBER?
>> THAT WOULD PUT UP A RED FLAG
IN YOUR MIND WHEN.
ANIMAL WELFARE COMES DOWN TO.
NUMBERS AND STATISTICS. WHAT
I FIND IS THE ACTUAL WELL FOR
THE ANIMALS SUFFERS. SO
BASICALLY NO, NO NUMBER, NO.
>> IN WAKE COUNTY, WE'VE BEEN
FULL FOR 2 YEARS DR. JENNIFER
FEDERICO LEADS THE SHELTER
WHERE THE EUTHANASIA RATE IS ON
THE LOWER END IN THE STATE.
STILL THE SHELTER IS OFTEN
FULL. DO YOU THINK IT'S
>> UP TO YOU TO FIGURE OUT A
WAY TO BRING DOWN THE
OVERCROWDING CONCERNS. I DON'T
THINK IT'S MY RESPONSIBILITY
TO BRING DOWN THE OVERCROWDING
BECAUSE WE ARE LITERALLY DOING
EVERYTHING WE CAN. SHE SAYS
WAKE COUNTY IS SEEING MORE
SURRENDERS IN PART BECAUSE
FAMILIES CAN'T AFFORD THE
MEDICAL CARE.
>> THE SHELTER COULD USE MORE
HELP. WE NEED TO PEOPLE, TOO.
YOU KNOW.
>> FOSTER LARGE BREED DOGS DR
NORRIS SAYS WHILE THERE'S NO
ONE FIX TO BRING EUTHANASIA
RATES DOWN, SHE'S HOPEFUL.
>> TAKING IT DAY BY DAY PET
BY PET. BUT WE ARE MAKING
PROGRESS AND I'LL TAKE THAT
EVERY DAY. SARAH KRUEGER, WRAL
NEWS, WAKE COUNTY. OH, HE'S SO
HARD TO SEE THEIR FACES.
A SPOKESPERSON FOR NASH COUNTY
LISTED AS HAVING THE HIGHEST
EUTHANASIA RATE TELLS US IT MAY
HAVE WRIST MISREPORTED NUMBERS.
>> STAFF ARE NOW GOING BACK
TO VERIFY SINCE WE BROUGHT IT
TO THEIR ATTENTION. NOW,
TOMORROW NIGHT, WE'RE LOOKING
AT SOLUTIONS FOR BRINGING THOSE
NUMBERS DOWN. WE'LL TAKE YOU
INSIDE A SHELTER WITH SOME OF
THE LOWEST RATES TO SHOW YOU