Neglected, abused animal rescue getting notice

By COLIN MURPHEY
The forces at work in St. Mary Parish and throughout Louisiana to combat the scourge of animal cruelty had a busy year in 2016. And those involved with the effort are expecting 2017 to be just as busy.
Toney Wade, with the Louisiana Cruelty Investigation Task Force, said he was pleased with the progress made during the past year while also mentioning there was plenty more to accomplish in 2017 to identify and prosecute animal cruelty as well as move affected animals into better living situations. Wade said, while 2016 was busier than previous years, that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
“We shattered some records last year,” Wade said. “We broke our own record with seizures and arrests. I don’t think the cruelty situation is getting worse. It’s just that more people are reporting it. Law enforcement are also well on board with us. The numbers are showing that citizens are coming together and law enforcement is coming together. There were a lot of things last year that gave us a push and an extra edge.”
Wade said, as far as the new year is concerned, he and his team are looking forward to putting an even larger dent in the problem of animal cruelty. He said the momentum gained during 2016, cooperation with law enforcement and the attention being drawn to animal welfare cases should contribute to a productive 2017 and better living situations for animals in the region.
“I think, with the way things are going, that we are going to shatter last years’ records,” Wade said. “The community is getting involved. The police departments are working really hard. I see us having another very busy year.”
Wade said the effort in Louisiana to address animal welfare hasn’t gone unnoticed. He said calls wanting to know what is working in the state have come from as far away as California.
“We are getting calls from multiple states about how we do things,” Wade said. “We are getting a lot of attention across the nation because we are doing more to address the problem of animal cruelty. We are going to strive this year to make things better.”
According to Wade, the difference between what is being done in other states and what is being done in Louisiana has a lot to do with cooperation with law enforcement and educating the public. Wade said increasing awareness of animal welfare issues was critical to addressing the problem.
“People want to follow what we do because it’s working,” Wade said. “We are going to be a reckoning force in the state of Louisiana.”