The Cause of Animal Overpopulation

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Recommended: Consequences of pet overpopulation

Did you know, according to the “Pet Statistics” from ASPCA, there were about 5,000 animal shelters in the United States? In those shelters, about 5-7 million animals were rescued each year and approximately 3-4 million of them were euthanized. That was nearly half to the animal rescued. In other words, thousands of animals were euthanized daily. However, many of these euthanized animals were healthy, treatable, and adoptable pets. What caused these adoptable companions to be euthanized in animal shelters? The major cause was the overpopulation of animals without a home. Moreover, the irresponsible owners and breeders that did not sterilize their animals caused the overpopulation of animals.
First of all, the main objective of all living organisms was to simply grow, survive, and reproduce (Raven 406). In other words, it would be a natural for animals to mate and reproduce, such as cats and dogs. However, there were individuals who would breed animals for their benefits and profited from selling them. The issue with animal breeders was that they breed animals to produce offsprings with the desired traits (“Buyer Beware: The Problem with Puppy Mills and Backyard Breeders”). Nevertheless, even with the desired traits not all animals would find a loving home. In fact, the likelihood of adoption in animal shelters would decrease if families preferred a specific breed instead of an animal from the shelter. For these reasons, most animal breeders contributed to the increase of the animal population rather than decreasing it, but they were not the only ones.
Another group of individuals who contributed to the increase of animal population would be the irresponsible pet owners. A responsible pet owner would be an individual who is commi...

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...ng in the United States. For it to happen, the contribution of individuals would be needed. Every animal in the animal shelter needs a home, but for that to happen animal overpopulation would need to be stopped.

Works Cited

“Buyer Beware: The Problem with Puppy Mills and Backyard Breeders”. Paws. Paws, 2014. Web. 8 Apr. 2014.
“Fighting Pet Overpopulation: The Spay Station is Back On the Road!”. Pasado’s Safe Haven. Pasado’s Safe Haven, 9 Feb. 2011. Web. 8 Apr. 2014.
“Pet Statistics”. ASPCA. ASPCA, 2014. Web. 8 Apr. 2014.
Raven, Peter H., George B. Johnson, Kenneth A. Mason, Jonathan B. Losos, and Susan R. Singer. "Quantifying Natural Selection." Biology. Tenth Ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2013. Print. 8 Apr. 2014.
“Responsible Pet Ownership”. American Veterinary Medical Association. American Veterinary Medical Association, 2014. Web. 8, Apr. 2014.

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