New York Governor Signs Bill to Ban Shelter Gas Chambers
An Animal Rights Article from All-Creatures.org

FROM

Animal Law Coalition
November 2009

This law bans the use of CO gas chambers to kill shelter animals and requires shelters to dismantle and remove them!

Governor David Paterson has signed into law AB 999! This law bans the use of CO gas chambers to kill shelter animals and requires shelters to dismantle and remove them!

For more on this bill, read Animal Law Coalition's original report.

AB 999 would mandate except in an emergency the use of injection of sodium pentobarbital or a sodium pentabarbital solution to euthanize animals in public shelters.

Intracardiac injection, commonly known as heartstick, could only be used on unconscious, comatose or "heavily sedated" animals.

Animals could not be left unattended and death would be required to be confirmed. Failure to comply with either of these requirements could mean a $500 fine.

The bill would require gas chambers to be dismantled and removed. Failure to do that could mean a $500 fine.

In an emergency gunshot could be used to kill an animal. An emergency means when an animal is posing an imminent threat of serious physical injury to a person or to another animal, where the use of a humane method of euthanasia is rendered impossible or in cases where a severely injured animal is suffering irremediably.

Violations of this law could mean up to a year in jail and a $1000 fine.

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