FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Volunteers told Channel 2 Action News the Fulton County Animal Services shelter is not only extremely overcrowded, but also infested with rats and maggots.
Channel 2's Justin Wilfon spotted a dead rat hanging from the ceiling on a tour of the facility Thursday.
Wilfon met with five volunteers who all shared the same story.
“It’s very rundown, it’s not adequate for this county or for the amount of animals they take in each month,” volunteer Kalisa Wade said. “There’s a rat infestation, which leads to maggots eating the dead rats that die in the ceiling.”
They gave Channel 2 Action News pictures of the rundown shelter.
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"You can go to any animal shelter, and I think they'll tell you that they'll always have some kind of a rodent situation," shelter administrator Matthew Kallmyer said.
Kallmyer also acknowledged it's been a big problem there, along with the maggots.
He said the shelter already took some steps to fight the problem and plans to do more soon.
They've also installed outdoor space for the animals, but it's not enough to ease the overcrowding.
"If the facility was built for 80 animals and we're up to 400, I would say there's no way to go ahead and contest that point," Kallmyer said.
The volunteers started a change.org petition to pressure the county to build a new shelter.
If the county can find the money, Kallmyer said that's what he wants, too.
"I don't think there's a single person that doesn't agree that we need a facility that's modern," Kallmyer said.
A nonprofit called Lifeline runs the day-to-day operations of the shelter for the county.
The volunteers said Lifeline does a good job working with the animals. They said it's the county's facility they have an issue with.
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