THE TRUTH ABOUT ED BOKS
The Truth About Ed Boks or Mr. No-Kill. For the last decade, Ed Boks has claimed to be a leader in the national no-kill movement to end the killing of homeless animals in shelters. He claims to have created successful no-kill programs in Arizona, New York City and today, Mr. Boks will tell you that he is creating no-kill in Los Angeles.
But the facts about his past in Maricopa County, Arizona and New Your City and his abysmal performance over the last year as General Manager of Los Angeles Animal Services tell a very different story. In fact, Ed Boks has never created a no-kill community - not in Maricopa County, Arizona, not in New York City, and he is nowhere near doing so in Los Angeles.
His career as an animal shelter administrator has been defined by high kill rates, dishonesty, and animal neglect. He was driven from his prior jobs by these scandals, and he is repeating the same tragic scenario here in Los Angeles.
STRIKE ONE
Strike One: Maricopa County, AZ When Ed Boks began as Director of Animal Care and Control in Maricopa County, Arizona, he claimed that he would make the agency no-kill within five years.
Five years later, he was given the choice to either resign or be fired. He resigned and left the agency in financial chaos with an abysmal 50% save rate for animals-worse than the national average, despite having claimed to be near no-kill.
While in Maricopa, Ed Boks: Bankrupted the agency, leaving it with a $550,000 annual deficit. Killed 29,000 animals a year while referring to his facility as the "nation's largest pet rescue shelter."
Spent $10,000 on new furniture and computer equipment for his office while there was so little money that the agency could not afford to buy leashes and dogs were being walked with ropes. Wasted $180,000 on bogus experimental distemper vaccines that never materialized.
Attended numerous Best Friends' No More Homeless Pets conferences as a featured speaker which he lied to the 350+ animal lovers in attendance, claiming that his agency was near no-kill, that he had not killed a treatable animal in three years, and that his programs were not costing taxpayers money.
STRIKE TWO: NEW YORK
Strike Two: New York City, NY Ed Boks brought this disastrous leadership with him when he took over as Director of the New York City Department of Animal Care and Control. Again, he claimed that he would not leave until the agency was no-kill in five years. Two years later, he was fired, accused of gross mismanagement and of allowing disease and overcrowding in his facilities.
While in New York, Ed Boks: Lied about his statistics, claiming an increase in adoptions although an audit by the city comptroller found no evidence to support this claim. The same audit found poor animal care and filthy conditions rampant in his facilities, causing disease and suffering of animals. When the statistics did not support his claims that lifesaving was up, Ed Boks forced the employee in charge of the data-entry of statistics to leave, brought the job into his office and began "cooking the books" to reflect his lies. Left with a racial discrimination lawsuit pending against him.
STRIKE THREE: LOS ANGELES
Strike Three: Los Angeles, CAEd Boks by the Numbers •
Under Ed Boks' leadership in 2006, 751 fewer animals left Los Angeles shelters alive than in 2005-the first decline in over a decade:
• Animals dying because of disease in Los Angeles shelters have increased 750% under Boks.
• Ed Boks spent $8 Million more, with 100 more employees, than his predecessors- only to save less and kill more animals.
• 5,889 cats were killed by Boks and his team on their first day in the shelter, without ever being offered for adoption, foster or rescue
• The percentage of rabbits killed in Los Angeles shelters under Ed Boks has increased from 12% to 35%.
After over a year and a half on the job as General Manager of LA Animal Services, Ed Boks, the man who claims to be "Mr. No-Kill," has a poorer life saving record than his predecessors, Jerry Greenwalt and Guerdon Stuckey, (both who were found to be incompetent for the job of General Manager.) In the last year, and despite Ed Boks' claims that L.A. is near to no-kill:The death rate has increased:
- The number of animals dying in the shelter has increased.
- The number of animals transferred to rescue groups is down.
- The number of animals missing has increased.
- Spread of disease in L.A. shelter is rampant.
- There in an ongoing investigation as to Hayden law violations by Ed Boks', including but not limited to the killing of healthy animals on the day they arrive.
In spite of the fact that thousands of animals from coast to coast have depended upon Ed Boks' leadership for their very lives, he has continually and monumentally failed to provide it. Ed Boks has demonstrated, time and again, and in spite of his no-kill rhetoric, who he really is - a slick-talking, self-promoting charlatan who does not care about animals and is not interested in creating a no-kill Los Angeles.
It is time to judge Ed Boks by his actions, and not his empty promises. What Does Ed Boks plan to do about it? Using History as a guide, nothing. Instead, Ed Boks will do what he has always done when the facts do not match his fiction. Ed Boks will remove independent oversight of data-keeping and assume full control over statistics so that he alone can present them to the public.
