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No health hazard was created by the Animal Welfare League's improper burning of dead dogs Saturday, but the AWL has been warned to dispose of animals' bodies properly from now on.
"I don't think it went on long enough to pose a health threat," Bob Weaver, health department administrator, said today.
Animals that die or are euthanized at the AWL facility are usually stored in freezers until the fertilizer plant picks up the bodies, Weaver said. But by Saturday, the AWL apparently had more bodies than could be frozen, and decided to burn the carcasses on the AWL grounds.
"They got into a bind and had four or five animals, and made the wrong decision by setting them on fire," he said. "I'm sure it was a one-time thing."
County Administrator Ron Robinson said today, "There's just a lot of new people out there and they just used poor judgment."
The AWL will not be fined or sanctioned, Robinson said, but any disciplinary measures, such as firings, are up to the AWL board.
Tracy Yates, AWL director, would not discuss the matter with the Times-Union, referring calls to board president Connie Um, who did not return calls.
Weaver said the health department and the AWL are now working on a plan to take animal carcasses to the county's compost facility.
Warsaw's code enforcement officer, Cpl. Steve Brown, Saturday took the bodies to the compost facility, he said.
He was called at 1:26 p.m. Saturday, and when he got to the site, he said, the Warsaw Fire Department was putting out the fire and covering the bodies with a tarp.
Brown used a dump truck and a front-end loader to take the bodies to the county compost pile. He said it appeared there were at least 10 to 12 carcasses in the pile.
I'm just extremely upset about the whole thing," Brown said. "Something different has to be done out there."
He said he's looking into the incident to see what, if anything, can be done.
The Animal Welfare League took over the county's animal shelter in November 1998. The AWL receives $50,000 from the county to run the shelter, along with membership fees and donations.
