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SDHS made a statement on 11/1/2023 on Facebook (in the comment section) claiming the 323 small animals were safely transported using best practices while referencing the Association of Animal Welfare Advancement’s Transport Best Practices as well as the Association of Shelter Veterinarian.

I would first like to reference the responsibilities of The Humane Society of Southern Arizona regarding the Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters/transfers.

HSSA failed to follow the guidelines; the animals never went into the building for exam and were inhumanely and irresponsibly put directly into vans/truck from the SDHS truck to continue travel and put in harm’s way to Colten Jones python breeder. 323 animals were in carriers for 18 ½ hours, there is no possible way they all arrived healthy and safe or in a condition other than total stress for prey animals.

Jessica Des Lauriers was in charge of this transport and is responsible for  ensuring companion animals receive quality care however; it appears she did the complete opposite with the transport and witnessing/being a part of the animals never going into the HSSA building to be properly checked out and did not ensure any of the following guidelines took place.  
Jessica then went on and blatantly lied about the events.

Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters
11.5 Responsibilities at the destination. The destination shelter must have sufficient  trained personnel ready to receive and evaluate animals upon arrival. Communication with transporters is important to ensure that the shelter has enough time to assemble  their  personnel.  Each  animal  admitted  through  a  relocation  program  must  receive  a  brief   health  assessment  at  intake.  This assessment identifies signs of infectious disease and problems that require emergency or follow-up medical care. Veterinary services must be accessible upon arrival. Access might include having a veterinarian on-site, on-call, or available at a local clinic. The destination facility  must have adequate housing  prepared for the arriving animals without displacing the  existing population. The need for isolation or quarantine of arriving  animals is informed by regulatory requirements, animal health status, source organization practices, and infectious disease risk.       

According to both website guidelines safe practices were not provided for the animals by either shelter.  In fact, it appears SDHS did not even follow basic standards. Moreover, there appear to be no guidelines for moving prey animals as the references are mainly quoting dogs and cats so it is the responsibility of the shelters to make educated decisions and consider the dangers of small prey animals in transport and this did not happen on any level.

SDDA loaded 323 small animals in carries stacked 7 high packed in a truck up against each other and the walls. What in this set up constitutes a “fear free” method?  The animals were all prey animals - not dogs and cats - prey animals that stress easily when there is a change of environment, when they feel threatened or if their eating schedule changes. In fact, rabbits can easily go into GI Stasis from stressful situations, not eating properly or drinking enough.  It took 3 ½ hrs just to load the van and the animals were traveling for 18 ½ hours which is incredibly inhumane, not to mention when the truck door was closed, not only were the animals stressed from the sudden change moving from a safe secure environment but also to an enclosure being pitch black. 

In the attached photo on the update, you can see carriers 7 high, and the truck was loaded minimum 10-12 rows deep. It appears Jessica is lying when she says she checked on the animals throughout as this was clearly not even remotely possible and there was no way to fill food or water or clean the bottom of carriers.  Were there even accommodations to ensure the animals were not sitting in urine and feces for 18 ½ hours?  The animals were inhumanely housed and had insufficient air flow/circulation. Further, the animals were in carriers and possibly not able to comfortably stand up, lie down and turn around. 

References

Companion Animal Transport Programs -- Best Practices (theaawa.org)
2. At no time may any individual housing units be located in such a way that kennel doors directly touch vehicle walls or other kennels. Care must be taken to ensure that kennels are loaded, and that vehicles are constructed in such a way, to ensure adequate airflow and temperature regulation within every individual kennel. The ability to perform a visual check on every animal without having to move or unload any of the kennels must be possible."

The Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters 
Primary  enclosures  must  be  loaded  in  a  manner  that  minimizes  animal  stress  or  discomfort  while  allowing direct  visual  observation. 
Vehicle should be tested inside for exhaust fumes.

During transport, driving time to an intermediate or final destination should not exceed 12 hours per day, and loading  and  unloading of animals  should  not exceed  1  hour  each  (see  Figure  11.1).15,19  Confinement  for  these  lengths of   time  can  still  present  welfare  concerns…
Transport that exceeds 12 hours of travel must be broken up with an overnight  rest stop at an intermediary location.  

There is so much more information in the guidelines that were not honored, please review each one for details at the provided links.

It is stated that Gary who continues to say what a great transport this was, was not even there that morning to oversee the loading.  Sadly there is nothing humane about either humane society.

These are the facts and the rest opinion.

For The Rabbits,
Linda Sue