On Wednesday, I chastised CNN for its flippant tone in a piece about the mistreatment of animals used in entertainment. (The reality of orangutans in a boxing ring is neither amusing nor ethical.)
Today, CNN redeems itself with a homepage story on Corridor Rescue, a Texas nonprofit organization, and its founder, Deborah Hoffman. If you’re looking for a hero, Hoffman’s got the papers.
It’s a sweltering 90 degrees, and Houston has definitely got a problem. In the northeast portion of the city, a dumping ground exists. Not for trash, but for animals, and Hoffman has christened the area The Corridor of Cruelty.
Some of the victims come from dog fighting rings. Some have been neglected or severely abused. Some are simply unwanted. They arrive in the Corridor emaciated, dehydrated, terrified, and with life-threatening wounds and broken bones. They are dumped and left to suffer – and then to die.
After years in animal welfare work, Hoffman created her own organization, Corridor Rescue. Since 2008, she and her volunteers have comprised what she calls an “active army” of anti-cruelty warriors. Not only have they inspired city officials to set up cameras in an effort to identify and prosecute those responsible for the crimes, Hoffman’s group feeds the animals, funds their medical treatment, and finds them homes.
The group also works with other local rescue organizations. Their goal is to educate the community on anti-cruelty laws and the importance of spay/neuter until there is no longer a need for rescue.
For now, however, the dumping continues. Animals are discarded daily, some in trash bags, often still alive. Hoffman remains undeterred.
“Animal rescue is what I will do for the rest of my life,” she said. “I’ll be … trying to save an animal from my rocking chair.”
If there’s a Deborah Hoffman (or a Corinne Dowling or a Loretta Hyde or a Sherri Franklin) in your area, donate to her rescue organization. If there isn’t (or you don’t know of one), donate to Hoffman’s Corridor Rescue. If you can, do both.
The cruelty stops only when you and I no longer tolerate it.
