Editor;
I thought you might be interested in the below letter
which PETA sent to Pattaya Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome asking him to
immediately ensure that no more animals are dropped off at Tony’s shelter by
the city until conditions at the shelter have been improved. Repeated visits
to the shelter by PETA representatives have revealed sick animals suffering
without veterinary care, emaciated animals, and severely overcrowded
conditions.
The Honorable Mayor Itthipol
Khun-pluem
Dear Mayor Itthipol Khun-pluem,
I hope this letter finds you well. As you might know,
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Asia - an affiliate of
the world’s largest animal rights organization, PETA U.S., which has more
than 2 million members and supporters - is dedicated to the humane treatment
of animals. We have written to you before about the inadequate conditions
for animals at Tony’s shelter in Pattaya and are writing again today to
further address some concerns that we had about the city’s decision to leave
animals there with you.
On the occasions that we have visited Tony’s shelter, the
pens were extremely crowded, and the animals did not appear to be separated
by age, gender, or health. The biggest problem appeared to be sick and
injured animals who were not receiving veterinary care and were left to
suffer. During the visits, we noticed that many dogs were suffering from
mange and that others were extremely emaciated. We respectfully ask that the
City of Pattaya immediately address the issue. Leaving animals at an
inadequate shelter makes you as responsible for their suffering as Tony
himself is.
Confining animals to an environment that can’t meet their
physical and psychological needs and providing them with limited exercise
and care can lead to kennel stress. “Kennel stress” is a condition that is
common in animals in animal shelters, in which the physical and mental
frustrations of confinement lead to abnormal, neurotic, and even
self-destructive behaviors - and this is an even bigger issue at Tony’s
because of the sheer number of animals dropped off by the city on a daily
basis. The sad but true reality is that the only way to avoid kennel stress
is to ensure that animals who have stayed at the shelter for a certain
period of time are humanely put out of their misery. Please use your
influence to ensure that Tony’s shelter implements a euthanasia policy.
Thank you very much for your time and attention to these
matters. Please contact me on +852-6718-4282 (Hong Kong) or at AshleyF
@PETAAsiaPacific.com to discuss how we can help Pattaya improve the
situation for stray animals in the city. We look forward to a response from
you.
Sincerely,
Ashley Fruno
Animal Sheltering Specialist
PETA Asia
Tony responds:
Dear Sirs,
I would like to thank you for the opportunity to respond
publicly to the comments made by P.E.T.A. When I started this operation,
some 7 - 8 years ago, I was dismayed at the number of stray, sick and
injured animals on the streets of Pattaya and surrounding district. I felt
something needed to be done about the situation, so set up the shelter. This
was originally at the far end of Jomtien and 4 years ago, relocated to a
larger area in Plutaluang.
The City brings us animals daily and they also supply
about 30% of the food we need, for which we are very grateful. I personally
make up the deficit. Regarding donations, cash can lead to many problems so
we would prefer food, materials or medical supplies, these are our highest
priorities.
On top of the number of animals the city brings us,
advertising for help and donations has only meant that more members of the
public bring us animals, to the point where we now, sadly, are in the
situation where we have to refuse to take any more and can no longer
advertise.
I can personally assure you that all the animals we have
are taken care of to the best of our abilities. Any shortcomings related to
the facility are due to lack of funds and we do our best to minimize them.
At my own cost, we even have a veterinarian on our payroll to take care of
our dogs.
P.E.T.A. say they left medicine, etc., for us and that it
was never used. We are not aware of anything being given to us from them. We
reiterate that we have repeatedly asked for assistance with food and
medicines which they have never given to us.
Their offer of help is based on insisting that we adopt a
euthanasia policy. As Buddhists, this is, of course, something we can never
do.
The shelter is open to the public and I invite you to
visit us and see the conditions for yourself.
Yours faithfully,
Tony
