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Shelter chief regrets gas chamber ban: Says gassing can be more humane than injectionsJun 27, 2009 (The Dominion Post - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- One local shelter supervisor had mixed emotions after Gov. Joe Manchin signed a bill banning new gas chambers for euthanizing animals, "I wish they wouldn't have been completely outlawed," said Dana Johnson, supervisor at the Monongalia County Canine Adoption Center. Johnson said she was happy Manchin grandfathered existing chambers -- with certain provisions -- but doesn't feel the practice should be banned. Under the bill, no new gas chambers can be built. Existing chambers must have been built by a certified company, and only trained technicians can use them. The Canine Adoption Center uses a gas chamber as one method to euthanize animals. Johnson said she is one of two workers at the center who does euthanizing. The Mon County center euthanized more than 1,400 animals last year, Johnson said. It doesn't plan to stop using the gas chamber despite the recent bill. Using the gas chamber can actually be safer for the animal and the staff, Johnson said. She cited an example of euthanizing a feral (wild) cat with lethal injection. The center is not permitted to use tranquilizers, so workers struggle to hold the cat down to find a vein for the injection. "To me that is worse than the three minutes in the gas chamber," Johnson said. In the gas chamber, they can put the cat in a cage and, according to studies, the cat is unconscious in about a minute. Johnson also noted that while animals in a gas chamber may be making motions and sounds, those actions are involuntary and not signs of suffering, so the gas chamber is actually humane. Preston County Commissioner David Price said they use a gas chamber and recently bought a new one a few years ago. Their new chamber is computer-controlled and meets all the criteria under the bill. In Preston County, many of the animals euthanized are done by lethal injection, Price said. They still use the gas chamber for vicious dogs and other dangerous animals. If the bill was passed a few years ago, Price said they might have done away with the old gas chamber. But they don't plan on getting rid of the new one with the passage of this law. "I don't see anytime soon us putting it out of service," Price said. But not all organizations dealing with animals support using gas chambers. Betty Burkett, president of the Federation of Humane Organizations of West Virginia, said the gas chamber can be dangerous to humans. Burkett said the law will help protect humans from dangers of the gas chamber. The gas that is used is explosive, and eliminating the chambers can provide additional safety. Also, the gas can be deadly to humans. A worker in Tennessee died after walking into the chamber too soon after the process, Burkett said. When the bill first crossed the governor's desk, Burkett said they were disappointed with his decision to veto it. But, she said they were much happier when they found out it was vetoed because of technicalities, not its content. The Legislature corrected the problems and overrode the veto during its May extended session. On June 5, Manchin signed the bill into law. Burkett said they were "absolutely ecstatic." The law goes into effect Aug. 27. Burkett said they don't want to see any animals killed. But if it's needed, lethal injection is the best course of action. "It's bad enough to kill any animal," Burkett said. "To do it this way is the most humane." To see more of The Dominion Post or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.dominionpost.com/. Copyright (c) 2009, The Dominion Post, Morgantown, W.Va. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |