SALT LAKE CITY — A bill was introduced on Capitol Hill aiming to ban the use of gas chambers in animal shelters, drawing support from locals, activists and celebrities alike.
According to Utah Animal Rights Coalition executive director Jeremy Beckham, Utah is one of the few remaining states to still allow the practice of euthanizing animals in this way. Something he hopes will change.
“Gas chambers was an outdated method that they used to use in animal shelters to euthanize animals,” said Beckham. “But this method is less safe for workers, it takes longer for the animal to die and it’s also less cost-effective.”
Sen. Mike McKell introduced the bill banning gas chambers from being used in animal shelters. “This is a bill that has been on Capitol Hill for a long time,” said Sen. McKell. “This is not the most humane tool to euthanize an animal. it’s the least humane and we shouldn’t be using it.”
Even though this bill has made its rounds on Capitol Hill for years, Beckham says he is more optimistic about it passing, this year.
“It wouldn’t actually stop any animal shelter because they all have already stopped using the gas chamber," he said. "But it would still be a good bill to pass because it would stop a shelter from resuming the practice or starting it to begin with.”
Hollywood actor, activist and Utah resident Katherine Heigl stood by senator McKell, hoping to encourage lawmakers to pass this bill.
“This is just a bit of a black mark on this incredibly sacred place,” said Heigl. “I believe our animals and our voiceless and our innocent deserve our conservation and our care. I think as Utahns, we are better than this.”
Senator McKell’s office says that Utah is only one of three states without a ban on gas chambers, believing it to be a horrific way for any animal to de.
“They put several animals into a chamber at once, and it can take up to twenty to thirty minutes for the animal to die and during that time, they fight and claw and fight with each other to try to get out,” explained Heigl. “It’s painful and quite frankly it's torture.”
Salt Lake County animal services say they don’t use gas chambers and there are more humane ways to put an animal down if that’s the last option. “We believe that if we are doing probably the majority of euthanasia in the state because we are the largest no-kill municipal shelter, that it could be achievable for other shelters as well,” said Callista Pearson.
Both Senator McKell and Heigl say a large part of this issue is awareness – people might not know gas chambers are still used in shelters.
“I don’t know that I’ve ever been aware of a gas chamber to the extent that I was super concerned because when I went to a vet, that’s not what happened,” said McKell.
Jeremy credits people for coming out and making a push to end these gas chambers.
“In the past couple years, literally thousands of residents of Utah county which was home to the last shelters using this method rose up, made their voice heard. We packed city council meetings and finally got these shelters to stop,” said Beckham.
Sen. McKell says the bill will go through the rules committee next and then to senate committees in the coming weeks. You can track SB-108’s progress on the Utah legislature’s website.
