Animal welfare organizations throughout the area are waiving adoption charges for guinea pigs this weekend following a big give up, shining the highlight on a brand new ordinance that bans the sale of the critters at pet retailers in Boston.
Recently, the Animal Rescue of League received 55 guinea pigs from a single home, with MSPCA-Angell taking in 20 of the pets. The give up prompted the 2 businesses to group up with Dakin Humane, Lowell Humane, and the Animal Protection Center of Southeastern Massachusetts in internet hosting the fee-waived adoption occasion.
The occasion begins Friday and runs by means of Sunday, with the $30 adoption price for guinea pigs being waived. In complete, the teams are hoping greater than 100 guinea pigs will discover their new properties.
“Their owners purchased guinea pigs from pet stores where they were incorrectly sexed, resulting in many litters,” MSPCA-Angell mentioned of the 55 surrenders on X, the previous Twitter platform. “This underscores the importance of measures like Boston’s recently passed ban on guinea pig sales in pet shops.”
Mayor Michelle Wu, simply earlier than Christmas, signed the ordinance that the City Council handed in early December banning the sale of guinea pigs at pet retailers throughout town.
City officers enacted a “pet shop” ordinance in 2016, prohibiting the sale of canines, cats and rabbits, besides in cooperation with an animal shelter or rescue group. It omitted guinea pigs, a “significant share” of which come from large-scale, out-of-state industrial breeding amenities and brokers,” the ordinance states.
“Pet shelters across the country have seen an influx of guinea pigs being surrendered since the COVID-19 pandemic, with Animal Care Centers of New York City reporting that guinea pig surrenders have doubled since 2019,” the ordinance states.
The enhance is being felt in Boston, with town’s Animal Care and Control reporting vital will increase in intakes 12 months over 12 months from 2020 by means of 2022.
Guinea pigs often have prolonged stays on the MSPCA earlier than being finally adopted, mentioned Deborah Bobek, director of operations on the MSPCA. In 2022, the typical keep was 29 days in comparison with 18 for canines and 13 for cats, she mentioned throughout a December listening to on the ordinance.
In early December, 44 guinea pigs at MSPCA, a few of whom had been ready 4 months to be adopted, Bobek mentioned. The company hosted 5 fee-waived adoption occasions, she added.
“The events are the only thing keeping us from drowning in guinea pigs,” Bobek mentioned. “However, despite their success in helping us place more guinea pigs, they are labor intensive for staff, and I am concerned that as we have continued to repeat the events this year, the popularity has started to wane, not allowing us to match our adoption rates with our intake rates.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com”