Palm Beach County OKs animal control rules

Palm Beach County Commissioners on Tuesday passed a range of animal control rules, key among them a tougher dog leash law and a spay-
                                                     

and-release plan for cats that some wildlife groups will lead to even more deaths of birds and small animals.

The vote was 6-0; County Mayor Shelley Vana was absent.

At its May 19 meeting, the commission tentatively adopted several new rules for animal control as part of “Countdown 2 Zero,” an ambitious program to reduce euthanasia of adoptable animals by 2024.

Wildlife groups then wrote to say house and feral cats kill 8 billion to 26 billion birds and small mammals and “we should not respond to one tragedy by creating another.”

In the proposed rule, any roaming cat collected by county Animal Care and Control that appears to be cared for would be sterilized, microchipped, and vaccinated for rabies, and its left ear clipped for identification. And it would be set free back in its neighborhood.

Dianne Sauve, director of Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control, has told commissioners the alternate would be for thousands of acts in shelters to be euthanized.