The Aberdeen, Mississippi Humane Society which operates the Monroe County Shelter adjacent to the City Shelter hosted an In Defense of Animals – Justice for Animals Campaign coalition meeting on Monday evening, the 11^th of July.  Mayor Maurice Howard, Chief Henry Randke, of the Aberdeen Police  Department, and  Public Affairs Manager Jus Crosby  were among the attendees.

As background, the animal advocates of Aberdeen were presented with information on the activities and accomplishments of In Defense of Animals and case history on how four of IDA’s cruelty cases directly influenced the passage of protective statutes. Among these cases was the Catherine Twiss case that involved 86 lions, tigers, bears, a liger, a puma, and an additional 22 stallions, a camel and at least a dozen dogs (not counted as they roamed the property).

Materials including a synopsis of weak Mississippi State Statutes were made available and a brief on IDA-JAC cruelty Investigation insights were presented with the offer of a training session for the city’s law enforcement and humane advocates.

This coalition meeting came on the heels of IDA-JAC Boys and Girls Club presentations to hundreds of children and media coverage for the latest IDA-JAC vigil following the conviction in a case of aggravated assault, the shooting of a Greenwood, Mississippi dog named Luke.   Luke, a greenwood, Mississippi resident was shot in the face by a neighborhood man who staggered down the neighborhood street clutching his 12 gage shotgun and shot into Luke’s yard blasting him in the face.  Luke survived, most likely because the shooter, Eddie Gene Mathews was intoxicated.

IDA-JAC is in action and its coalition of animal advocates from the public to law enforcement, legislators, judges, and members of regional humane organizations is making an impact.