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Humane Society Says Euthanizations Down

VHS

The Vanderburgh Humane Society says the number of animals euthanized at the local shelter continues to fall. 

The agency has issued its Community Impact Statistics for 2018.

It says the number of animals that had to be put down dropped to 282 – down 13 from the previous year.

Ten years ago, the agency euthanized more than 1,900 animals.

The society also says 21 animals died of natural causes, either from unforeseen medical issues or of old age in 2018.

For the first time in its history, the VHS says it didn’t have to euthanize any animals because of a lack of space.

The animals that were put down included those who arrive at shelters with severe, life-threatening diseases or had behavior or aggression problems that would be considered “unsafe in almost any home.” 

The Humane Society says it sheltered more than 2,900 animals last year, at least two-thirds of them from Vanderburgh County.

The agency says more than 2,100 animals were adopted.

More than 150 of the adoptions were cats who found homes through the society’s partnership with River Kitty Cat Café in Downtown Evansville.

The cat cafe opened in July 2017 and houses 8-to-12 adoptable cats at a time.

The total number of adoptions from the café has topped 200.