New York Post, Thursday, June 19, 2003, Page 24
PET SHELTER'S BEASTLY SITUATION
By HEIDI SINGER
June 19, 2003 -- Unable to find a qualified director for the city's troubled animal-shelter system, officials last night chose a man who will work only part time for the next six months.
But the officials hope that Ed Boks, who runs the shelter in Maricopa County, Ariz., will fall in love with the Big Apple and decide to stay on.
Under the present plan, Boks will fly to New York two weeks of every month to operate the Center for Animal Care and Control, which takes in stray dogs and cats, but must down 37,000 of them a year.
He starts on July 1, when interim director Julian Prager will step down.
Boks, who has 20 years' experience running shelters, declined to take the job full time because he is in the process of turning his shelter into one that kills very few strays, and he wants to see the project through.
"He represents the right spirit and management style we're looking for," said animal activist Gary Ka[s]kel, who runs a shelter-reform group. "It's still a Band-Aid, patchwork approach to solving the bigger picture."
Although the board of the shelter advertised far and wide - and received a stack of résumés two-feet high - members couldn't find anyone other than Boks with the right experience, said board member Jay Kuhlman, aManhattan veterinarian.
"With New York having little money and many problems, there are not many qualified people willing to do it," Kuhlman said.
Under the Giuliani administration, the shelter cut off volunteers and rescue groups, killing an estimated two-thirds of its 56,000 lost or unwanted animals.
Activists described conditions as heartbreaking, with dogs not being walked, and animals getting sick due to unsanitary conditions and abuse and neglect.
With the change in mayors, some hoped shelter conditions would improved. Mayor Bloomberg got rid of the shelter's former director, hated by rescuers.
PET SHELTER'S BEASTLY SITUATION
By HEIDI SINGER
June 19, 2003 -- Unable to find a qualified director for the city's troubled animal-shelter system, officials last night chose a man who will work only part time for the next six months.
But the officials hope that Ed Boks, who runs the shelter in Maricopa County, Ariz., will fall in love with the Big Apple and decide to stay on.
Under the present plan, Boks will fly to New York two weeks of every month to operate the Center for Animal Care and Control, which takes in stray dogs and cats, but must down 37,000 of them a year.
He starts on July 1, when interim director Julian Prager will step down.
Boks, who has 20 years' experience running shelters, declined to take the job full time because he is in the process of turning his shelter into one that kills very few strays, and he wants to see the project through.
"He represents the right spirit and management style we're looking for," said animal activist Gary Ka[s]kel, who runs a shelter-reform group. "It's still a Band-Aid, patchwork approach to solving the bigger picture."
Although the board of the shelter advertised far and wide - and received a stack of résumés two-feet high - members couldn't find anyone other than Boks with the right experience, said board member Jay Kuhlman, aManhattan veterinarian.
"With New York having little money and many problems, there are not many qualified people willing to do it," Kuhlman said.
Under the Giuliani administration, the shelter cut off volunteers and rescue groups, killing an estimated two-thirds of its 56,000 lost or unwanted animals.
Activists described conditions as heartbreaking, with dogs not being walked, and animals getting sick due to unsanitary conditions and abuse and neglect.
With the change in mayors, some hoped shelter conditions would improved. Mayor Bloomberg got rid of the shelter's former director, hated by rescuers.