Today Alley Cat Allies called on the Smithsonian Institution’s National Zoo to suspend Nico Dauphine, a wildlife researcher accused of attempting to poison cats at a park near her home in Washington, D.C., until the criminal charges against her have been resolved.
In a letter to the zoo’s director, Dennis Kelly, Alley Cat Allies president Becky Robinson says the zoo’s decision to keep Dauphine in her position despite the serious allegations of animal cruelty against her “sends a message to the Washington, D.C. community and all of America that the lives of cats have no value.”
Alley Cat Allies also asked supporters to sign a petition calling on the zoo to suspend Dauphine from her duties until the matter is resolved. The petition has so far garnered more than 7,000 signatures.
Read the Press Release.
Read the full text of the letter to the National Zoo.