The Issues:

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Every living creature deserves respect and dignity. Yet for decades, animals—domesticated, wild, and those raised for food—have suffered at the hands of humans. Many of the industries involving animals, such as the fur and carriage horse industries, have years of documented animal mistreatment and abuse. 

 

Pets and pet owners face real challenges in our city. As the number of people experiencing homelessness continues to rise in New York City, pet owners who become homeless are being faced with the choice of sleeping on the street or giving up their pets due to strict no-pet rules in most shelters. Entering the shelter system is traumatic and having to give up a family pet only adds to the trauma and unnecessarily increases the number of pets in animal shelters. 

 

Also in the domesticated animal realm, animal care centers and shelters throughout New York City have been fraught with issues and documented problems leading to sickness and even death among animals. The rabbit, kitten and puppy mills that sell animals to pet stores are also rife with issues. They have been found to have poor conditions, infectious disease outbreaks, overcrowded cages, a lack of proper veterinary care, and a lack of food and water. These conditions result in sick animals being sold to unaware pet owners who then have to spend huge amounts on vet bills, return the animals, or worse, abandon them in shelters. 

 

District 11 is lucky enough to be home to the vast Van Cortlandt Park and other forests and parklands. With this wonderful resource comes an abundance of wild animals. Often when they are found injured or sick, New Yorkers call 911 for help and the NYPD ends up responding instead of the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation’s independent volunteer licensed rehabilitators. District 11 is also home to many feral or community cats. Community cats have no legal owner, though often people in the community will provide some degree of care. These cats are not socialized to humans however, and are not suited for shelters or adoption. 

 

Finally, New York City purchases massive amounts of food. Approximately $500 million in public funds are spent each year on food for schools, hospitals, corrections facilities, hospitals, and more. Our public dollars should be spent to promote a sustainable food system that protects animal welfare, not on meat raised on factory farms, which are bad for the environment and harm the welfare of animals.

 

If we are going to build back better from the COVID crisis we will need to address animal rights violations occurring across this city every day.

 

Our Solutions:

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I believe that we have a moral duty to care for all living creatures including animals. As your City Council Member, I will fight to ensure animals receive respectful treatment at the hands of humans and are protected under the law. 

 

Ensure that domesticated animals are safe, healthy, and well cared for:

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• Pass Intros 1483 and 1484 on accommodating homeless New Yorkers with pets in homeless shelters and housing.

• Pass legislation banning the sale of new apparel products using real animal fur including new job training for lost jobs in the industry.

• Enforce inspections and requirements for facilities that house live animals to mitigate overcrowding and unsanitary conditions. 

• Ban the shipment of live animals through the mail into New York City.

• Shift from horse-drawn carriages to electric ones. 

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Protect wild animals in New York City:

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• Support increased City funding for wildlife rescue and rehabilitation services, including a 24/7 call center.

• Increase funding for the Trap, Neuter, Return program for feral cats. 

• End the killing of Canada geese in New York City in favor of non-lethal methods of wildlife management citywide.

 

Promote a food system that prioritizes animal welfare:

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• Maximize City purchasing power to support a transparent and equitable food system by fully implementing the Good Food Purchasing Program (GFPP) across agencies. The GFPP has animal welfare as one of its five key values.

• Make plant-based options available in publicly-funded meal programs.

• Pass Res. 1151 calling on corporate and government entities operating in New York City to divest from agricultural industries that benefit from deforestation and the acceleration of global warming.

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