Annotated Bibliography

Chambers, C., Jr. (2002, February 11). Protect animals. Retrieved March 19, 2016, from
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2002-02-11/news/0202110027_1_animals-huntersoverpopulation
nIn Eric Zorn's most recent column on hunting, a hunter, Scott Brasier, insinuates that without
hunting's "management" role, animal populations would run amok. Brasier asks: "Do [imprudent
anti-hunters] justify this suffering, pain and death of animals as a `distasteful, regrettable yet
unavoidable' aspect of their opposition, or just collateral damage?" The difference between the
hunting death of animals and deaths caused by road accidents is rather stark: One is purposefully
inflicted upon another sentient being, while the other is done incidentally. If Brasier asserts that
able hunters want to mitigate "undue suffering," then perhaps vaingloriously killing an animal
based on self-serving and ultimately destructive principles should be considered inappropriate
and "undue." For billions of years, nature has successfully regulated itself and managed its
populations--at least, until the advent of human overpopulation and manipulation.
Comerford, B. (2002, July 27). Controlling animals. Retrieved March 19, 2016, from
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2002-07-27/news/0207270090_1_animal-control-cats-anddogs-overpopulation
The Chicago metropolitan area has various concerns regarding the overpopulation of animal
species, including deer, raccoons, pigeons, seagulls and rodents. These are becoming annual
problems that can be rectified via the utilization of humane scientific resources. Wildlife
guardians, animal-control specialists and forest rangers can strategically place feed baited with
contraceptives in areas where respective species congregate. There is growing evidence that this
technology can be effective through inducing infertility in a substantial number of targeted
creatures. This constructive sterilization technique can be beneficial to the environment,
sustainable development and wildlife biodiversity. Sharpshooters will no longer be necessary for
lethal culling, which is both outmoded and morally repelling. Cats and dogs are being neutered
and spayed, thereby providing further criteria for the advantages of keeping populations down as
a means to improve the quality of life for those that are alive and already struggling to survive.
D. (2013, November 26). Human Overpopulation as an Animal Rights Issue. Retrieved March
20, 2016, from https://animalblawg.wordpress.com/2013/11/26/human-overpopulation-as-ananimal-rights-issue/
What is the effect of overpopulation on animals? The demand created by humans exceeds the
available resources, causing these resources to be depleted at a rate that rejuvenation cannot keep
up with. An example of this can be seen through the increased demand for food due to
overpopulation. For many people, this involves the consumption of meats. This causes an
increase in food production, such as grains, that is then used to feed livestock, that is then
consumed by humans. In order to meet the demand for these grains and livestock, more land is
taken away from wildlife. Therefore, not only are more animals being consumed due to the
population growth, more of their habitat is also taken away.
Franklin, R. (1991, April 04). O.C. PLATFORM : Permits for Pets. Retrieved March 20, 2016,
from http://articles.latimes.com/1991-04-04/local/me-2434_1_pet-overpopulation

The pet overpopulation problem is a terrible one, not only a humane problem that sees the killing
of healthy young animals but a taxpayer problem because of the cost involved. (The proposed
law) makes sense. It would not apply to the professional breeder, who already has a breeder's
license. We support the breeder who's genetically responsible and breeds infrequently. The
strange thing is that the breeders oppose (the law), which is ridiculous since they'll profit if we
can keep people from indiscriminately breeding litters. I believe they're thinking like the people
who are against gun control: That if one little law gets through; other big ones will follow. It's the
back-yard breeding we want to stop. If people want to have big litters, that's what we want to
prevent. What usually happens is a dog gets out and has a litter of mixed pups that nobody wants.
Garcia, I. (1999, August 25). Hearing Scheduled on Pet Overpopulation Ordinance. Retrieved
March 20, 2016, from http://articles.latimes.com/1999/aug/25/local/me-3414
The city Department of Animal Services will hold a public hearing tonight to discuss the
proposed pet overpopulation ordinance, which would make it illegal in Los Angeles to own an
unsterilized animal without permits. Under the ordinance, owners of unsterilized cats or dogs
would be required to pay $100 a year for a permit. Breeders would pay an additional $200 a year
for a breeder's license. Anyone found in violation of the ordinance would be guilty of a
misdemeanor, animal services officials said. "The city of Los Angeles is facing a public health
and safety crisis due to the numerous stray, injured and/or vicious dogs roaming city streets,"
said L.A. Animal Services General Manager Dan Knapp. "This ordinance is a necessary response
to that crisis."
Heigl, K. (2013, January 22). Just One: How Change Happens. Retrieved March 20, 2016, from
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/katherine-heigl/how-change-happens-for-pe_b_2528190.html
When my mom and I started the Jason Debus Heigl Foundation in memory of my brother four
plus years ago, we were animal lovers like many of you. We had pets and had always cherished
them, but through our work with animals and the shelters in Los Angeles and the United States,
we have learned a tremendous amount about the national challenge of homeless animals. Did
you know that in the United States, we kill almost 4 million animals a year? Euthanasia is the
number one killer of cats and dogs. Why are so many animals being put down? Is it because our
shelters are overflowing with unadoptable, mean, old animals? Many people believe that animals
that are in the pound are damaged goods that the dogs and cats have somehow done
something to belong there.
Murti, V. (1987). Articles The Writings of Vasu Murti. Retrieved March 20, 2016, from
http://www.all-creatures.org/murti/art-vegan-response-overpopulation.html
"The livestock population of the United States today consumes enough grain and soybeans to
feed over five times the entire human population of the country. We feed these animals over 80%
of the corn we grow, and over 95% of the oats... Less than half the harvested agricultural acreage
in the United States is used to grow food for people. Most of it is used to grow livestock feed...
"The developing nations are copying us. They associate meat-eating with the economic status of
the developed nations, and strive to emulate it. The tiny minority who can afford meat in those
countries eats it, even while many of their people go to bed hungry at night, and mothers watch
their children starve... "To supply one person with a meat habit food for a year requires threeand-a-quarter acres. To supply one lacto-ovo-vegetarian requires only one-half of an acre.

Pacelle, W. (2011, May 25). Stamp Out Pet Overpopulation. Retrieved March 19, 2016, from
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wayne-pacelle/stamp-out-pet-overpopulat_b_561474.html
The USPS has printed 300 million of the 44-cent stamps as a way to bring awareness to the
issues of adopting shelter animals and promoting spaying and neutering. The stamps went on sale
Friday throughout the nation, and if there is a great public response for the stamps by May 30,
the USPS promised to do another major run. Promoting these twin goals of adoption and
sterilization has always been a core component of The Humane Society of the United States
programs, and until the USPS runs out of these stamps, theyll be the only ones for me for my
regular mail. It is my hope that youll flock to the USPS for these stamps as well, and that this
collective action will signal to every American that we can solve the pet overpopulation problem.
Of the dogs and cats in our homes, fewer than one in five come from shelters or rescue groups. If
we were able to increase that percentage of adopted animals by just a percentage, we could
prevent the euthanasia of more than 3 million healthy and treatable pets in America. Its a
problem that has plagued our cause for so many years, and this new campaign is just the latest
awareness campaign to turn around the problem.
Redfern, P. (2000, February 10). Dealing with Deer. Retrieved March 19, 2016, from
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2000-02-10/news/0002100138_1_deer-carcassesoverpopulation
After reading "Living with deer" and "Humane approach" (Voice of the people, Feb. 5), I felt
compelled to write a letter to the editor. Several years ago, I saw a film about deer in Michigan.
During the winter, thousands of deer died due to overpopulation and lack of food. The film
showed heaps of deer carcasses being loaded onto trucks. Is this humane? The best approach is to
shoot some of the deer so that we can maintain a healthy deer population. The meat from the deer
that are shot can be given to poor people. This is a win-win situation. We would have a healthy
deer population and poor people would have meat on the table. The alternative is overpopulation,
starvation and death.
Steinberger, R. (2013, October 13). Being Born as a Surplus Pet Is a Predictor of Shelter
Relinquishment. Retrieved February 16, 2016, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ruthsteinberger/being-born-as-a-surplus-p_b_3729739.html
Among the reasons for releasing pets to shelters cited by the National Humane Education Society
(NHES) are moving, changes in employment or housing or behavioral issues and shelters note
that some pets are even relinquished because they grew too big. However, the single greatest
predictor of whether a dog or cat will end up in a shelter at some time is simply being born in an
unplanned, unwanted litter. Basically, if a pet starts out as part of an accidental litter, and is
casually given away to any willing taker, its initial "adoption" as a puppy or kitten is far more
fragile than if the pet is obtained following a deliberate decision to spend money and purchase a
dog or cat from a breeder of their choice. Sounds logical? It is. Again, according to the American
Pet Products Manufacturers Association, 26 percent of dogs are obtained from breeders and
according to the ASPCA, 25 percent of dogs that enter municipal shelters are purebred; the
percentage initially acquired as purebreds and the percentage of purebreds released to shelters
match up pretty closely. Conversely, APPA notes that 39 percent of dogs are obtained from
friends, family members or taken in as strays. While purebreds make up 25 percent of shelter
intakes, the unplanned (non-purebred) dogs make up the other 75 percent of those entering

shelters, meaning they are released to shelters at nearly double the rate at which they were
"adopted" in the first place.
Willman, M. L. (2000, March 17). Curbing an Excess of Pets. Retrieved March 20, 2016, from
http://articles.latimes.com/2000/mar/17/local/me-9826
Animal-control and leash laws have existed in the United States for nearly as long as farmers'
dogs have ravaged the neighbors' chickens and rabies outbreaks have threatened human
populations. But never before has the national debate over pet control reached such a fevered,
emotional peak as at present, with animal advocates pushing for legislation to reduce the number
of unwanted animals euthanized in the nation's shelters. Aided by the speed and scope of the
Internet, animal rights groups are gaining footholds in hundreds of communities, calling for antibreeding laws to counter what they see as the cause of overpopulation. On the opposite side of
the fence are animal breeders, who say proposed laws would infringe on basic freedoms. Next
week, the debate reaches the Los Angeles City Council, which will deal with a long-standing
problem: too many dogs and cats running loose or ending up at shelters with death warrants if
they are not adopted.
Zimlich, R. (2010, March 25). Understanding pet overpopulation. Retrieved March 19, 2016,
from http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/understanding-pet-overpopulation
"When we started Petfinder.com 15 years ago, the average person would have said we don't
have an overpopulation problem, and now the general population says yes," says Betsy Saul, cofounder of the pet adoption Web site Petfinder.com. On the other hand, people in the know used
to say yes, theres an overpopulation problem; now people in the know say no. The problem lies
in supply and demand, and its directly related to the economy, says Saul. Economic strain on pet
owners leading to less donations and adoptions results in what Saul calls an overburden
problem rather than an overpopulation problem. Its really a socioeconomic issue, I think. A lot
has to do with where peoples hearts and minds are, Saul says. Its a luxury to have the time
and money to stop and think of animals. And its a marketing problem. Puppies are in the wrong
spots.
N/A (2014, March 08). Deer Overpopulation a Threat to Forest Growth, Researchers Say.
Retrieved March 19, 2016, from http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/6296/20140308/deeroverpopulation-threat-forest-growth-researchers.htm
Rise in deer population and their grazing habits prevent forests from maturing, researchers have
found. The study, conducted by researchers at Cornell University, found that deer prefer seeds of
native woody plants and reject invasive ones. This selective eating leads to loss of native
vegetation and helps foreign plants take over forest land. Grasses establish themselves in a piece
of land. As the forest grows, Small herbs and shrubs replace grasses. Later, woody plants and
trees take over the area. Researchers have now found that deer prevent the growth of woody
plants.
N/A (2008, February 15). Despair and heartbreak. Retrieved March 19, 2016, from
http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2008-02-15/news/forumlet15_3_1_pet-overpopulationdespair-heartbreak
As a former shelter employee, I know firsthand the despair and heartbreak of killing healthy
animals on a daily basis. Yet no sooner does a homeless pet die than another is dragged through

that revolving door of apathy, ignorance, and/or irresponsibility. Therefore, the overwhelming
horror of pet overpopulation never sees much of a reduction -- unless you count the thousands in
Central Florida alone that were euthanized last year simply because there is never enough room
to keep them, never enough money to care for them, never enough lifetime homes found for
them. It is a despicable tragedy of huge proportions that we, a supposedly civilized and
intelligent nation, should be utterly ashamed of. Far too often, too many pets -- every one of
them wanting and needing constant love and security -- become relegated to the white noise of
life. So what was once adorable becomes an intolerable bother. With poor excuses of no time to
train, no time to play, no time to care, these creatures who love unconditionally end up being
dumped like last night's garbage.
N/A (2011, July 15). THE IMPACT OF POPULATION GROWTH ON WILDLIFE - Population
Media Center. Retrieved March 20, 2016, from
https://www.populationmedia.org/2011/07/15/the-impact-of-population-growth-on-wildlife/
In December 2005 the USA based National Academy of Sciences reported that human activities
are leading to a wave of extinctions over 100 times greater than natural rates. According to the
World Conservation Union, almost 800 species have become extinct since 1500, when accurate
records began. The Alliance for Zero Extinction has identified a further 794 species on the brink
of oblivion. These species are confined to 595 sites around the world; only one third of them
have legal protection, and most are surrounded by human population densities approximately
three times the global average. The country which has the worlds worst record for species
extinction turns out to be Australia. 27 mammal species, 23 bird species, and 4 frog species have
become extinct over the past 200 years. And the prospects for many other Australian species are
not good. The Humane Society International says that land clearing has killed 4 billion birds,
reptiles and mammals since 1972.