no kill animal shelter in Las Vegas

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How can something like this happen? Why do people bring so many animals to a shelter? What kind of mentality allows this to happen? Shelter forced to kill 1,000 dogs and cats • Las Vegas animal shelter hit by outbreaks of diseases in dogs and cats • About 1,000 pets euthanized in what's said to be largest cull in Las Vegas history • Animal rights activists say outbreak and mass cull were preventable • Shelter now changing the way animals are cared for LAS VEGAS, Nevada (AP) -- An outbreak of contagious diseases at a shelter where officials admit they kept animals for too long without destroying them has forced the killing of about 1,000 dogs and cats, officials said. Visiting inspectors from The Humane Society of the United States discovered the outbreak of the diseases -- distemper and Parvovirus in dogs and panleukopenia in cats -- Lied Animal Shelter spokesman Mark Fierro said. "We caused the animals pain, and that is something we are committed will never happen in our shelter again," said Janie Greenspun Gale, board chairwoman for the Animal Foundation, which operates the Lied Animal Shelter, according to KTNV News in Las Vegas. (Watch scenes inside the shelter that became riddled with disease) During a Thursday news conference, a tearful Greenspun Gale acknowledged that the shelter hadn't followed Humane Society policies, and though the animals were immunized, "we were using the wrong immunizations," KTNV reported. The shelter staff didn't want to euthanize the animals simply because they'd been there too long or because the shelter needed more space, Greenspun Gale said, but the misguided effort backfired. Humane Society officials said as much when they visited the shelter. "Instead of congratulating us for trying to save lives, instead of telling us how wonderful we were that we didn't want to put animals down for time and space, they told us we were causing animals to suffer," Greenspun Gale said, according to KTNV. The mass culling, which began February 9, is believed to be the largest in the city's history and has prompted shelter officials to change their methods of caring for animals. Animal rights activists said they were outraged by the killings. "It's unforgivable in light of the fact that it was absolutely preventable," said Holly Stoberski, legal counsel for Heaven Can Wait Sanctuary, a group that has worked with Lied to find homes for impounded animals. "They were not properly vaccinating the dogs and cats in a timely manner." Shelter officials vowed to adopt new policies when it reopens Friday, including euthanizing animals after 72 hours at the shelter -- as the Humane Society recommends -- and improving conditions for the animals, including vaccinating them when they arrive. Not all of the 1,000 animals were infected. Some were put down because they had gone unadopted for more than 120 days and were contributing to overcrowding that Humane Society officials said helped spread the diseases. Lied Animal Shelter officials have said they did not realize animals were infected until the Humane Society team noticed animals with intestinal and respiratory problems. The foundation contracts with Clark County and the cities of Las Vegas and North Las Vegas to handle abandoned, neglected and stray animals at Lied. The shelter annually adopts more than 7,000 dogs, cats, rabbits, gerbils, guinea pigs and other animals. Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Find this article at: http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/02/16/shelter.outbreak.ap/index.html?eref=rss_topstories