After a gas chamber used for euthanasia at a Missouri animal shelter was closed, the only two known remaining gas chambers in the nation are in Wyoming – one in Green River and one in Evanston.

Some are promising to shut down Wyoming’s gas chambers, but animal shelter staff say the chambers are a safe and humane way to euthanize animals.

“Our position has not changed (regarding the gas chambers),” Green River Animal Control Supervisor Tracy Wyant told Cowboy State Daily.

Despite the closure of Missouri’s gas chambers, there are currently no plans to remove Wyoming’s, she said.

Madhu Anderson, a local animal welfare activist, said she and others are still determined to see Wyoming follow Missouri’s lead and close the last two known animal shelter gas chambers.

“It (gas chamber euthanasia) is outdated, cruel and banned in almost every state,” she told Cowboy State Daily.

Missouri City Shuts Theirs

The only other known animal shelter gas chamber was in Poplar Bluff, Missouri.

The city council voted last month to close and dismantle the gas chamber, according to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).

“The Humane Society of the United States awarded a grant to the Poplar Bluff City Council to support the closure and fund training and other resources needed to transition the shelter to a humane euthanasia model,” according to a release from the HSUS.

Advantages and disadvantages

Neither side has moved on Previous arguments for and against the use of gas chamberswho euthanize animals by inhaling carbon monoxide.

The chambers are considered cruel because they involve confining an animal in a small space, having to spend the last moments of its life alone and isolated, Anderson said.

“No, even if they clean (the interior of the room), there will still be a smell of death in there,” she said.

This can cause animals to panic and desperately try to escape, Anderson said.

The most humane option is to sedate the animals — orally or with a needle — then euthanize them by lethal injection, Anderson said.

Green River and Evanston use both methods to euthanize animals: injection and the gas chamber, Wyant said.

Sometimes the injection isn’t the best method, she says.

Animals that are aggressive toward humans or afraid of needles can be difficult to control, making the process dangerous for humans and more traumatic for the animals, she said.

Injecting animals and watching them die is also “very personal” and can take a toll psychologically on animal control personnel, Wyant said.

Additionally, based on her experience, the idea that animals panic and die in terror in gas chambers is based on hype and not reality, she said.

“We’ve never had a bad experience with it,” she said.

Anderson said she and others are still not convinced the gas chamber is humane and will continue to protest outside the Green River Animal Shelter.

They will also continue to pressure the Green River and Evanston city councils to close the gas chambers.

Rarely used

Lately, virtually no animals have been euthanized in Green River by either method, Wyant said.

The gas chamber was last used in August, she said. And in October, a dog too sick to be saved was put down by injection.

Animal shelters in Green River, Cheyenne and Evanston are certified no-kill shelters.

The no-slaughter certificate does not mean that absolutely no animals will be slaughtered, but rather that fewer animals will be slaughtered. that 10% are euthanized each year.

Wyant said euthanasia is usually reserved for animals that are too aggressive or too sick to be adopted.

The focus is always on adoption, she said, and animals are welcome to stay at her shelter as long as necessary.

She cited the recent adoption of Missy, a Pitbull/Labrador mix who spent five months at the shelter before finally finding a forever home.

“At first she was so scared she had to be picked up and carried everywhere,” Wyant said.

But once Missy came out of her shell, she went too far in the opposite direction. She became “obnoxious,” disobeying human commands and fighting with other dogs, Wyant said.

The staff worked with her to find common ground, until Missy became “a well-behaved, obedient dog,” Wyant said.

The shelter’s Facebook page really helped, she said. Rather than just offering one or two photos of animals up for adoption, social media allows staff to post multiple photos, videos and regular updates on the status of cats and dogs.

“I thank social media for our great adoption program,” Wyant said.

Contact Mark Heinz at [email protected]

Marc Heinz can be reached at [email protected].