The killing of animals infected by ringworm at a Newmarket shelter has been stopped, with 99 now euthanized while hundreds of others are still under observation or being taken care of outside the facility.
But officials of the Ontario SPCA say they are concerned about 15 animals that were stolen from the facility by staff and volunteers in the past few days, and which could infect other animals or people in the community.
The outbreak of ringworm in the shelter caused a huge controversy this week after OSPCA managers said Monday that up to 350 animals might have to be euthanized. Politicians, animal care organizations and members of the public were outraged at what they saw as a mass slaughter, for a disease that can be easily treatable.
OSPCA chairman Rob Godfrey apologized at a press conference Thursdays, saying the organization had "miscommunicated" what was really going on. He said the shelter's veterinary advisers had initially suggested that in a worst case scenario all 350 animals under its care might have to be put down, but that it had become clear that is not the case.
Only 99 animals have been euthanized, said OSPCA chief executive officer Kate MacDonald, while 96 others - that do not appear to have been infected - have been placed with other agencies or private homes. Another 114 are in the shelter and are being tested further.
The big concern, however, is the 15 animals that were taken without authorization on Monday and Tuesday after the controversy over the killings arose. While two staff have returned the animals they took, the others are still at large and the OSPCA is trying to track them down.
These animals may carry the fungus and could spread it, she said.
Ms. MacDonald said the outbreak apparently began in February when four cats now believed to have been carrying the fungus were brought into the shelter. This strain of ringworm has proved to be highly contagious and virulent, she said, although tests that would confirm that have not yet been completed.
While ringworm can be treated in individual cases, in a shelter situation it can get out of control easily "and you can never get it fully stopped," she said.
She said the shelter will not reopen until all the remaining animals have been tested and treated, and the building has been thoroughly cleaned. That could take months.