Animal Rights Activists Protest Humane Society of New York Veterinarians Over Animal Warehousing

Despite pleas from animal shelter advocates, the six veterinarians who work in the Humane Society of New York’s (HSNY) clinic refuse to address the long-term warehousing of animals at the organization’s adoption center. Adoptions at the prominent Manhattan shelter came to a virtual standstill in April 2020 when their boss, Executive Director Sandra DeFeo, closed the building to the public.  According to the New York City Department of Health (DOH), which conducted an inspection in October 2022, the HSNY facilitated an average of one adoption per week between March and October, an exceptionally low number for a shelter that can accommodate up to 175 animals, according to its annual tax statements. Activists have submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to the DOH for the inspection report.

During the first two protests at the HSNY, the advocates attempted to speak to the veterinarians about the plight of the dogs and cats, but all of them refused to engage, choosing instead to ignore them as they exited the building. Since then, the activists have become increasingly provocative, stepping up their demand that the vets use their influence to relocate the animals to adoption centers that are open to adopters or to foster homes. Former HSNY employees suspect that the veterinarians, Drs. Lauren Postler, Shingo Soeda, Ellen Hirshberg, Yaron Schmid, Ralph Gutierrez and Liz Higgins, are turning a blind eye to the animal warehousing because they would like to keep the building closed to the public, as keeping their clients out of the exam room makes their job easier.

Shelter advocates say that the veterinarians who work in the Humane Society of New York’s clinic are turning a blind eye to the warehousing of animals in the organization’s adoption center. (From left to right: Lauren Postler, Yaron Schmid, Shingo Soeda, Ralph Gutierrez, Ellen Hirshberg and Liz Higgins)

Before attempting to engage the veterinarians, the advocates sent letters and emails to members of the HSNY’s Board of Directors to inform them that adoptions had come to a virtual standstill and ask them to intervene. The once active board president, Virginia Chipurnoi, ignored hand-written letters, emails and text messages about the issue. Former HSNY employees who worked with Chipurnoi speculate that, at 88, she is no longer able to perform her duties. Two board members, Alexandra Rowley and James Gregorio, said they would provide the advocates with proof of adoptions. Instead, they and one other board member, C. Jones Perry, resigned, walking away from the problem created on their watch. The remaining board members, including the socialite Cornelia Guest, are inactive, elderly and/or live in other states.

“The past and present board members and the veterinarians are complicit in animal cruelty,” said Christina Fritz, a neighbor of the HSNY whose application was ignored when she attempted to adopt a cat and who was turned away when she attempted to volunteer. “The Humane Society of New York isn’t the adoption center they claim it is.”

By its own account, the Humane Society of New York, a large shelter in a bustling residential neighborhood that receives several million dollars a year in donations, has facilitated an average of about one adoption per week since March 2020. Protesters believe that the number is even lower.

Bonnie Tischler, the HSNY’s former Adoption Director who retired in early 2020 after working at the shelter for 22 years, describes the situation as a perfect storm. “In the absence of supervision and accountability, Executive Director Sandra DeFeo, who describes the animals’ cages as ‘apartments,’ is acting as though the shelter is their forever home. That’s why the veterinarians, who have leverage and influence, need to intervene.” 

AM New York, a daily newspaper in New York City, published a story about the campaign to help the cats and dogs being warehoused at the Humane Society of New York.

Animal rights activists in New York became aware that animals were being warehoused in July 2021 when a whistleblower sent a letter to a prominent shelter advocate informing her that adoptions had come to a virtual standstill 15 months earlier and that DeFeo was keeping the building closed to the public under false pretenses, using COVID as an excuse to cover up for violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act. 

Animal rights activists in NYC are calling on the Humane Society of New York, which has been closed to the public for 2.5 years, to send the animals to shelters that are open to adopters or to foster homes.

A two-month investigation conducted by TheirTurn corroborated the whistleblower allegations and uncovered other disturbing information. The HSNY ignores adoption applications. As part of TheirTurn’s investigation, thirteen well qualified adopters submitted applications, and not one received a response. At any given time, the HSNY lists just 11 or 12 animals on its website.  With the building closed to the public, adopters have no way of knowing that the other animals exist. In addition, the HSNY does hardly any promotion on social media. Instead of making daily adoption posts across multiple social media platforms, as other shelters do, the HSNY makes just two or three posts each month, and the posts contain no information about the adoptions process. 

Despite having dozens more, the Humane Society of New York lists between 11 – 13 animals on its website. With the building closed to the public, adopters have no way of knowing that many other animals in the shelter need to be rescued.

The HSNY has been closed to the public for 2.5 years and has no plans to re-open. According to two lawyers contacted by TheirTurn, the HSNY cannot open its doors to the public due to violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act. It has already settled one lawsuit and would open itself up to another if it re-opened before making the building wheelchair accessible under ADA guidelines. 

Since April 2022, advocates have staged approximately 12 protests targeting the HSNY. In response to the protests, the HSNY posted a statement on its homepage. In it, DeFeo attributes the low number of adoptions to “diligence.” That explanation doesn’t resonate with the activists. 

“There’s a big difference between diligence and negligence,” said Tischler. “Sandra lists just a fraction of the animals online, does virtually no adoption promotion on social media, ignores adoption applications, has no Adoption Director, has no practical way of introducing people to the animals, refuses to allow fostering, and has no mobile adoption van, which the HSNY can easily afford. So what exactly are the ‘adoption outreach initiatives’ to which she refers in the statement?” 

Jane Hoffman, the President of the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s animals, has refused to intervene on behalf of the animals being warehoused at the Humane Society of New York (HSNY). Sandra DeFeo, the Executive Director of the HSNY, sits on Hoffman’s board.

The activists say they intend to continue protesting the Humane Society of New York until the animals have been transferred to shelters or foster homes where they have a chance of finding a forever home.