Oklahoma City Animal Welfare temporarily only accepts sick, injured, or aggressive animals

Oklahoma City Animal Welfare has announced that it will only be accepting sick, injured, or aggressive animals at this time due to overcrowding at the shelter. The department is asking residents to shelter lost animals themselves until further notice.

Ronnie Schlabs, the new superintendent, who is only 10 days into his role, explained that shelter capacity is currently at an all-time high.

"This to help take some stress off of the shelter so we can get the animals in our care through their surgeries, get them healthy, get them adopted," Schlabs said.

However, animal activists have expressed concern over the safety of this approach. They point out that many animals brought off the streets may be unvaccinated, which could pose a risk to both other animals and the community.

Schlabs responded by stating that the community needs to take more responsibility for spaying and neutering pets to prevent the ongoing strain on the shelter. While the policy is temporary, the discussion continues about how to address Oklahoma City's long-term animal welfare crisis.