Animal deaths at shelter shocking and inhumane

Room of horrors: Where live animals are killed next to the dead ones ... Florida.

Shocking photos have been posted on Facebook of the kill room in Manatee County Animal Services. The photos show a dog and a cat being killed in the same room where the body of a previously killed dog lies on the floor.

These photos are shocking because all humane authorities agree that animals should never be killed in a room where there are other dead animals.

In perhaps the saddest and most shocking photo, Sarge, a black dog with white markings, is shown tied to the door. The cat, now killed, is laid out on a metal table, and Kobe, a yellow Lab mix, is now lifeless in a large tub on top of a dead black dog.

Three dead animals in the room, and poor Sarge, who must smell the death that permeates the small room, waiting to be killed. The photos appear to show an astonishing lack of humane attitude toward the innocent animals being killed.

Understandably, people are outraged that those involved with killing the strays and unwanted animals in Manatee County are so unfeeling and uncaring.

A call to the shelter was met with "We're not allowed to comment on that."

A call to Nick Azzara, the county's "information outreach coordinator," was met with a response of, "Will respond with statements this afternoon." A message was left for Betsy Benac, a commissioner at-large in Manatee County.

No one there has actually addressed this horror.

Marcia C. Coleman

Orlando

This story was originally published January 8, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Animal deaths at shelter shocking and inhumane ."