SAUGERTIES — Animal sanctuaries are struggling with increased costs and a decrease in donations, according to a nationwide survey conducted by the Catskill Animal Sanctuary.
The sanctuary surveyed 42 animal sanctuaries across the United States from Nov. 21 through Nov. 24. One of the nation’s leading
“We kept hearing the same refrain,” said Kathy Stevens, founder and executive director of Catskill Animal Sanctuary. “It just makes me concerned when donations are down, and costs are through the roof.”
According to the survey, 1 in 3 sanctuaries experienced a 25% dip in donations, and 1 in 5 experienced a drop of 50% or more.
Stevens said that the average size in donations to sanctuaries has gone down.
The reduction in donations has also impacted the Catskill Animal Sanctuary. Stevens said that the sanctuaries reserve account had dwindled from six months’ worth of funds to two months.
“That’s a terrifying thing going into the winter, we haven’t been able to hire key jobs,” she said.
“Everyone is cutting staff, or not hiring, or raiding their reserves, but they’re not reducing the quality of care,” she added.
The Catskill Animal Sanctuary is located in Saugerties, and currently cares for 200 animals on 150 acres of land.
Stevens said that winter was a challenging season for animal sanctuaries due to increased cost in heating and hay.
“We buy 10,000 bales of hay per year, and the bulk of it is used in the winter,” she said.
Stevens added that the cost of hay had increased to $10 a bale, and that the sanctuary had seen a $40,000 increase in their hay expenses.
Stevens said that it was “all important” for individuals to donate to sanctuaries during the winter months.
“Every sanctuary is doing a huge donation push,” she said.
Stevens added that the Catskill Animal Sanctuary offers a sponsorship program for animals under their care, that includes updates and visits with the animal.
The survey also found that 29% of animal sanctuaries were very concerned about their survival, with 5% of respondents downsizing or shutting down completely.
Stevens said that some of the sanctuaries they reached out to had already closed their doors.
She said that sanctuaries closing leave the possibility of animals having nowhere to go.
“We live in a world where we don’t value old animals,” she said. “The closure of sanctuaries leaves the possibility of these animals having nowhere to go.”
“It’s happening at an alarming rate; we opened 23 years ago with animals from a failed sanctuary. It’s terrifying,” she said.