The Humane league of Lancaster County was founded in 1917 to "prevent animals from becoming homeless through providing services and education to help people understand how to provide responsible lifetime care to their animals". [1] It is based in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in the United States.
On May 3, 1917, Miss Maud Haldeman (1874–1931), along with seventeen other women, formed the Woman's Humane League of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The organization's stated purpose was as follows:
This corporation is founded for the prevention of cruelty to, and care of, children, girls, aged persons, and animals within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and to enforce all laws enacted by the Pennsylvania legislature or by Congress for the protection of the children, girls, aged persons and animals [2]
As social service agencies began to address the problems of woman and children, the League turned its attention exclusively to animal welfare. Although for 20 years complaints were investigated and resolved, no shelter was available for homeless animals until 1937, when animals were temporarily housed in kennels, fairgrounds and other locations in the area.. A "Men's Advisory Committee" was formed in 1946 to assist the ladies, and soon thereafter, in 1947, the word "Woman's" was omitted from the name and formally changed to The Humane League of Lancaster County.
Since April 2006, Franklin and Marshall College, Archives & Special Collections, Shadek-Fackenthal Library, has been the official custodian of the records of the Woman's Humane League of Lancaster County.
2007 marked the 90th anniversary of the Humane League of Lancaster County, which is located today on Lincoln Highway East, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, with 30 staff members and over 150 volunteers. [3] Maud Haldeman died in 1931 and bequeathed her estate to the Humane League of Lancaster County (unofficially estimated at over $200,000, or $3.56 million in 2021 dollars). Her legacy has been honored through the formation of the Maud Haldeman Society, a group of individuals who have included the Humane League in their estate planning through bequests or beneficiary designations. [4]
In June of 2020, Karel Minor, the CEO of Humane League of Lancaster County, posted on Facebook "She's got her knee on life's neck like it's a minority in Minnesota, That's probably too soon", making light of the murder of George Floyd which had occurred weeks prior. Minor resigned as director of the Owen J. Roberts School Board but remains CEO of Humane League. [5] [6]
Beginning September 1, 2008, the Humane League adopted a "trap-neuter-return" [7] policy and will no longer accept feral cats for euthanasia. Instead, interested parties are asked to schedule an appointment to have the cat spayed or neutered for a minimal fee. Traps are available for rental from the League. A trapped cat may be brought to the scheduled appointment, picked up post surgery and returned to the wild.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing cruelty to animals. Based in New York City since its inception in 1866, the organization's mission is "to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States."
Trap–neuter–return (TNR), also known as trap–neuter–release, is a controversial method that attempts to manage populations of feral domestic cats. The process involves live-trapping the cats, having them spayed or neutered, ear-tipped for identification and, if possible, vaccinated, then releasing them back into the outdoors. If the location is deemed unsafe or otherwise inappropriate, the cats may be relocated to other appropriate areas. Ideally, friendly adults and kittens young enough to be easily socialized are retained and placed for adoption. Feral cats cannot be socialized, shun most human interaction and do not fare well in confinement, so they are not retained. Cats suffering from severe medical problems such as terminal, contagious, or untreatable illnesses or injuries are often euthanized.
A feral cat or a stray cat is an unowned domestic cat that lives outdoors and avoids human contact: it does not allow itself to be handled or touched, and usually remains hidden from humans. Feral cats may breed over dozens of generations and become an aggressive local apex predator in urban, savannah and bushland environments. Some feral cats may become more comfortable with people who regularly feed them, but even with long-term attempts at socialization, they usually remain aloof and are most active after dusk.
Overpopulation in domestic pets is the surplus of pets, such as cats, dogs, and exotic animals. In the United States, six to eight million animals are brought to shelters each year, of which an estimated three to four million are subsequently euthanized, including 2.7 million considered healthy and adoptable. Euthanasia numbers have declined since the 1970s, when U.S. shelters euthanized an estimated 12 to 20 million animals. Most humane societies, animal shelters and rescue groups urge animal caregivers to have their animals spayed or neutered to prevent the births of unwanted and accidental litters that could contribute to this dynamic.
Franklin & Marshall College (F&M) is a private liberal arts college in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It employs 175 full-time faculty members and has a student body of approximately 2,400 full-time students. It was founded by Protestant ministers.
Coastal Pet Rescue (CPR) is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to saving the lives of homeless, abused and neglected animals in the coastal areas of Georgia, South Carolina and Florida. Its goal is to save as many pet lives as possible through rescue, reduce pet overpopulation through spaying/neutering, and to provide opportunities to the public to become better pet guardians.
Marilyn Ware was the U.S. Ambassador to Finland from March 2006 to March 2008.
A no-kill shelter is an animal shelter that does not kill healthy or treatable animals even when the shelter is full, reserving euthanasia for terminally ill animals or those considered dangerous to public safety. A no-kill shelter uses many strategies to promote shelter animals; to expanding its resources using volunteers, housing and medical protocols; and to work actively to lower the number of homeless animals entering the shelter system. Up to ten percent of animals could be killed in a no-kill shelter and still be considered a no-kill shelter.
Wayne Pacelle is one of the leading contemporary animal advocates, having founded or led a set of major animal rights organizations, negotiated agreements on animal rights with major American companies, and helped conceive of and pass statewide ballot measures and federal laws. He is also a two-time New York Times best-selling author.
Frank Diehl Fackenthal was an American academic administrator best known for his long association with Columbia University. Of Pennsylvania Dutch descent, he resided for much of his life in the Crown Heights and Park Slope districts of Brooklyn, New York.
Women have played a central role in animal advocacy since the 19th century. The animal advocacy movement – embracing animal rights, animal welfare, and anti-vivisectionism – has been disproportionately initiated and led by women, particularly in the United Kingdom. Women are more likely to support animal rights than men. A 1996 study of adolescents by Linda Pifer suggested that factors that may partially explain this discrepancy include attitudes towards feminism and science, scientific literacy, and the presence of a greater emphasis on "nurturance or compassion" amongst women. Although vegetarianism does not necessarily imply animal advocacy, a 1992 market research study conducted by the Yankelovich research organization concluded that "of the 12.4 million people [in the US] who call themselves vegetarian, 68% are female, while only 32% are male".
Humane Canada is the largest national animal welfare organization in Canada, representing humane societies, SPCAs, and animal rescue organizations. Humane Canada aims to speak with a strong national voice, promoting the welfare and humane treatment of animals and working to end animal cruelty.
Assabe and Sabina was a regionally popular Pennsylvania German dialect radio program that was broadcast from radio station WSAN in Allentown, Pennsylvania in the United States from 1944 until 1955.
The Humane Society of Indianapolis is a humane organization in Indianapolis, Indiana. Located in Marion County, Indiana, it is a private non-profit charitable organization with approximately 10,000 animals cared for each year and was founded in 1905. In 1919, the Humane Society of Indianapolis merged with the Citizen's Humane Society.
Compassion and Responsibility for Animals (CARA) is a registered non-profit, non-government animal welfare organization in the Philippines. It was founded in 2000 by a group of animal lovers determined to help the plight of animals in the Philippines. The current president of CARA is Nancy Cu-Unjieng.
World Spay Day advocates spaying, or neutering, advocating it "as a proven means of saving the lives of companion animals, community cats, and street dogs who might otherwise be put down in a shelter or killed on the street." It is an event held on the last Tuesday in February each year.
Alley Cat Allies is a nonprofit animal welfare organisation. It advocates for reform of public policies and institutions to better serve the interests of cats. Based in Bethesda, Maryland, the group is best known for introducing trap-neuter-return to the United States.
Founded in 1910, the Dumb Friends League, based in Denver, Colorado, is the largest independent, nonprofit community-based animal shelter/humane society in the Rocky Mountain region, caring for thousands of pets annually and accepting lost and relinquished pets, as well as hundreds of equines.
A working cat is type of domestic cat that "works" for its upkeep by hunting vermin, such as rodents. They are commonly employed where pest control is needed: in barns, farms, factories, warehouses, stores, churchyards, and private property. A benefit of using a working cat is that they alleviate the need for harmful pesticides. Working cats are often placed in their environment as a part of a working cats program.
Coordinates: 40°01′41″N76°13′26″W / 40.028058°N 76.223981°W
