|
(Copy of email received from Kitten 1-3-10) Animal rescue agency investigates director on cruelty allegationsBy Erin Stock -- The Birmingham News December 31, 2009, 11:43AM Terra Cotromano, executive director of the Birmingham area animal welfare group known as TEARS has been fired. (Birmingham News file) A Birmingham area non-profit organization formed to rescue abused and injured animals is now investigating its own executive director on allegations of animal cruelty, according to the group's officials. The executive director of The Emergency Animal Rescue Service has been fired by its board of directors amid questions about expenditures and the treatment of animals at the facility located in Mulga. John Saxon, attorney for TEARS, said the organization's president has delivered a letter of termination to Terra Cotromano, who also is founder of the organization. A Jefferson County judge on Wednesday granted the board a temporary restraining order against Cotromano, so that board members could go into the facility and check on the animals. Attempts to reach Cotromano have been unsuccessful. Veterinarians and various animal rescue agencies are on site now to assess and treat the animals, said Lee Anne Bennett, vice president of the group's board. "I'm just concerned for their safety and for their health," she said. Bennett estimated there are about 200 animals at the location, mostly dogs. She said she believes many of the cats are suffering from upper respiratory infections that have not been treated, but said they would know more once they completed the assessment. In recent months there have been questions about financing and accounting for expenditures that have not been answered to the satisfaction of the board, Saxon said. More recently there have been allegations made of animal cruelty or mismanagement of the care of the animals, he said. |
My thoughts regarding this article
Sounds really bad, doesn't it? Consider this: a thoughtful person will understand that estimates, insinuation, and conjecture by reporters do not necessarily indicate truth. Nor do statements from individuals on one side of a situation. The voice silent due to shock and humiliation may actually be the voice that should be heard. What caused all this uproar? Personality conflicts between the director and the board? Sensationalist press coverage? An animal control department looking for a big score with media coverage? A judge who wants to appear politically correct (because hey, animal abuse, whether real or conjectured, is a bad thing.) Or are the animals seriously in jeapardy due to poor care and questionable financial handling? Only those with direct knowlege of the situation know the truth.
Why didn't the reporter interview anyone who physically takes care of the animals on a day-to-day basis? Maybe one of them is actually the guilty party through laziness and misrepresentation of necessary expenses. Maybe one of them can definitely say that the director is guilty, and show proof of his guilt. The public won't know the difference between a deplorable situation with rats and dead animals, and a one time situation with something as minor and temporary as a broken air conditioner. In print and on the nightly news, they're usually representated with a similar, horrific slant. Lies are told and not corrected. Stories that were blown out of proportion are dropped when the ending is an amicable resolution. The public is left not knowing that the person making charges was wrong, and the animals involved were found to be in perfect health.
| The Darlings | ||
| Abigail | Isabel | Sissy |
| Alex | Lia | Tay |
| Angelina | Meagan | Truffles |
| Deezbah | Murphy | Valley |
| Gracie | Noah | Zha |
[ FAQ ] - [ Available Puppies ] - [ Email ]