Every major animal welfare and animal protection organization condemns the use of gas chambers for animal euthanasia, and considers euthanasia by injection to be the only acceptable and humane means of euthanasia for animals in animal shelters.
A majority of the shelters in Utah use euthanasia by injection, but a number of them still use outdated, inhumane gas chambers.
In spite of that, Utah H.B. 57 does not call for the elimination of gas chambers in Utah’s shelters. Instead, the bill contains provisions for improving the use of the gas chamber by shelters that use it – thereby suggesting that this archaic and cruel death practice can ever be “humane”. It can not.
Even with vigilant oversight, euthanizing any animal by means of a carbon monoxide or dioxide gas chamber is both severely inhumane to medium and large animals, and demoralizing to the workers who have to euthanize. Such outdated practices also create public outcry and demean the purpose of an animal shelter.
Holding and comforting a frightened homeless animal in its last moments of life may be the only act of kindness that animal has ever known. When Utah’s unwanted, sick or unadoptable shelter animals have to be euthanized, the procedure should only be done by injection of sodium pentobarbital. Anything else is simply unacceptable.
Please sign today to tell Utah’s Legislature that our state's citizens do not support the use of outdated, cruel, and inhumane animal shelter gas chambers!
