Utah's West Valley City Animal Shelter Fires Two Volunteers Following Opposition of Gas Chamber

As reported in a recent article involving Utah’s West Valley City Animal Shelter and their policies involving the use of a Carbon Monoxide Gas Chamber – new light was shed on the subject at the latest West Valley City Council meeting.

2 volunteers for the Animal Shelter were relieved of their duties amidst the heat the shelter has fallen under, along with the City Council, in failed euthanasia attempts and repeated use of their gas chamber.

Polina Vyazovkina, a volunteer responsible for starting a volunteer facilitated Facebook page called the WVC Animal Adoptions, stated that she was fired from her duties for speaking out against the carbon monoxide chamber in a recent council meeting.

According to reports given to the Council by Vyazovkina, based on the $12.00 per hour value that the shelters volunteer log places on volunteer work, the two combined saved the city over $3800 in wages which equates to roughly 2 ½ months salary.

Following last weeks council meeting the WVC Animal Adoptions Facebook page ‘blew up’ with oppositional messages regarding the Gas Chamber and the Shelters policies.

This story had initially gained momentum when Andrea, a rescued cat from the shelter, was put through the chamber on 2 failed attempts – only later to be found in a plastic bag, still alive, in a shelter cooler.

This event not only re-sparked the opposition for the controversial Gas Chamber it did so in leaps and bounds. Oppositional groups have popped up on Facebook, Area Animal Rescues and animal activists have joined in the plight and citizens have shown up in droves to the weekly City Council meetings.

If the concern was over negative publicity being drawn to the shelter via the social network page, brings to mind the adage ‘too little too late’ - seeing the growth of independent opposition has been overwhelming.

In fact that the page had no oppositional intent or ill will towards the Shelter, and its content was strictly adoption oriented, including 400 pictures of the animals that Vyazovkina took herself; this brings to question what the Shelters intent was in the first place.

“The Facebook page automatically uploads the pictures [of the animals] to the Pet Harbor and Pet Finder search engines,” she told the council, “The Facebook page has helped or directly helped in the adoption of dozens of animals.”

The council meeting itself ended in a similar fashion to the others, with Mayor Winder stating “your voice has not fallen on deaf ears” and “you have given us food for thought” before passing the floor to a fellow Councilman.

However, this go-round followed a week where council members visited the shelter and witnessed euthanasia by gas chamber and by lethal injection. As troubling as it was to Mayor Winder, he invited the public to openly come into the shelter and witness first hand both methods of euthanasia to better formulate an opinion on the process.

Mayor Winder Concluded, “I would challenge any of you individually to see for yourself, euthanasia by injection and euthanasia by carbon monoxide chamber and I think you will come away with a renewed sadness for any time an animal has to go down, but also it may dispel some of the myths that are out there, and falsehoods of what the carbon monoxide chamber is all about”

Three weeks of facts and figures proving the inhumane standards of gas chambers - presentations by professionals, veterinarians, volunteers and industry leaders offering alternatives, including collaboration and adoption – and yet, all of this has “not fallen on deaf ears.”

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