The city is allocating an extra $1 million to the overloaded animal shelter system to bring on board and train 14 new employees, as announced by City Hall on Friday.
New York City’s Animal Care Center, a nonprofit that has a $1.4 billion contract to run the city’s animal shelters for 34 years, recently stated that it has suspended the intake of dogs and cats due to “significant” overcrowding.
This announcement follows a report that highlighted ongoing health issues at Queens’ newly built $75 million city-funded shelter.
“The ACC’s work to safeguard animals across New York City is crucial, and our administration is committed to providing additional funding to support their efforts and improve animal care,” Mayor Eric Adams remarked in a statement.
“I also urge New Yorkers to consider adopting pets so that every animal has the chance to find a loving home.”
In contrast, GOP mayoral candidate Curtis Swa has criticized the funding announcement as a piecemeal approach to a bigger problem concerning animal welfare in the city.
“Cities often overlook animal welfare,” Swa wrote on X:
He also noted, “The ACC has a 34-year contract exceeding $1 billion, yet our shelter is overcrowded, surrender is on hold, and animals are in distress,” Swa mentioned.
Swa, a Republican who shares a home with six rescue cats, is calling for the city to terminate the contract and replace it to revamp shelter operations. He proposes a “semi-private public partnership” to alleviate taxpayer burdens.
He envisions a new animal welfare agency being established in the “basements” of City Hall, which would involve closing all shelters and offering free spaying and neutering programs.
Currently, the ACC operates three active sites across five boroughs and is caring for over 1,000 animals.
The ACC is mandated to maintain a location in every borough, but the Brooklyn site is closed for renovations until 2026, while the Bronx Resource Center has been “temporarily” shut down since May.
Additionally, a new $92 million facility in the Bronx was expected to open in the spring, but construction is still ongoing.
Requests for comments from the ACC and the Adams campaign went unanswered.
