Charleston animal welfare activists this week reached a milestone they’ve dreamed of for more than a decade — saving 90% of shelter animals in the state from euthanized death.
“Over the course of nine years, more than 892,000 pets were given a second chance at life, demonstrating the incredible impact of statewide collaboration” by shelters and animal organizations across South Carolina, said Abigail Appleton, chief project officer of No Kill South Carolina (NKSC). It grew out of an initiative spearheaded by the Charleston Animal Society (CAS) a dozen years ago and funded through major support by Petco Love.
In recognition of the accomplishment announced at a Thursday press conference, Gov. Henry McMaster proclaimed May 8 as “No Kill South Carolina Day.” While he and other federal leaders offered congratulatory video messages, S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson was scheduled to be at the Thursday event “to address animal cruelty in our state and how we can move up from being perennially in the bottom tier of state animal protection laws,” according to CAS President and CEO Joe Elmore…