|
Each year, approximately 100 new animal hoarding cases are identified by animal welfare services in New York City, some of which involve more than 60 animals in a single residence. Often, cases go undetected for a considerable period of time and are addressed only after neighbors complain. A grant from the Regina B. Frankenberg Foundation to the Fund for Public Health in New York (FPHNY) launched the Animal Hoarding Project. Administered in partnership with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) Veterinary and Pest Control office, the project addressed the complex issues related to people who collect a large number of animals without providing the minimal standard of care for the animals or for themselves.
Historically, most responses have focused specifically on eliminating large animal populations as a potential public health threat. However, new research is indicating that animal hoarding is as much a human behavior and mental health problem as it is an animal welfare concern. This pilot project examined cases as they occurred to determine the most effective human service interventions and animal welfare services. Over the course of 15 months a licensed social worker followed 66 cases of animal hoarding and provided a new perspective on the significant physical and mental distress of the humans and animals found. More than 2,350 animals were discovered and an additional 160 animals were found dead. Animal hoarders were found in every demographic group and every borough of New York City, with many of the elderly hoarders in particular living in squalor and isolation and facing eviction, foreclosure, self-neglect, and potential elder abuse. The environmental conditions in the homes of hoarders were unsafe for the human and animal inhabitants. Hoarders were found to be suffering from various medical problems such as heart disease and cancer, and mental health impairments including depression, cognitive impairments, delusional beliefs, trauma, and addiction.
DOHMH and other participating organizations are working to determine the best steps to implement recommendations identified in the course of the project to further address the issue of hoarding. The goal is to reduce the number of hoarding incidents and lower the high recidivism rate among the collectors, ultimately reducing euthanasia among animals not properly cared for in a hoarding environment. The animal hoarding phenomenon, little noticed and long neglected, calls for a coordinated multi-agency response from human service agencies, mental health programs, animal welfare agencies, and public health services combined.
|
|
|
