VCAS-UF Recognized For Partnership

Daytona Beach – Animal cruelty investigations in Volusia County have been greatly enhanced as a result of an innovative partnership between Volusia County Animal Services (VCAS)and the University of Florida’s Veterinary Forensic Sciences Laboratory. The partnership has been recognized statewide, receiving the Florida Animal Control Association’s (FACA) 2021 Outstanding Cooperative Team Achievement Award recently. Volusia County Animal Services Director Adam Leath said that more important than the recognition is the fact that the partnership is helping to ensure that cases in Volusia County involving animal cruelty, welfare or suspected abuse are handled with the highest level of care and professionalism. Leath is a courtesy assistant professor for the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine and on the board of directors for the National Animal Care & Control Association. “The working relationship that we’ve been able to develop with the Veterinary Forensic Sciences Laboratory really has resulted in enhanced animal services in Volusia County,” said Leath. “We’re improving the lives of pets and people by combining the strengths and resources of both organizations. It’s a true partnership in every sense of the word, and we’re very proud that the Florida Animal Control Association has recognized the shared efforts and impacts of our teamwork.” Volusia County’s animal control officers are being trained in specialized skills like crime scene investigation, excavation of clandestine graves and how to identify, document and perform forensic examination of animal abuse victims. At the request of Volusia County Animal Services, the lab has provided veterinary autopsy services in several cases – providing the forensic evidence that helped facilitate the filing of criminal charges, successful prosecutions and most importantly, the rescue of animals from deplorable living conditions. According to an April 26 award letter from FACA President Darcy Andrade to Volusia County Animal Services and the University of Florida, it’s this high standard of excellence in animal welfare, care and control that earned statewide recognition for the cooperative program. The partnership also has resulted in Volusia County Animal Services enrolling a number of animals into the university’s dual programs – A Dog Has No Name and A Cat Has No Name. The programs tell the stories of community cats and dogs that are deceased, while also providing the submitting agencies with a better understanding of the illnesses and conditions that caused the animals to succumb. “The 2020 partnership between the University of Florida’s Veterinary Forensics Sciences Laboratory and the Volusia County Animal Services was extremely successful and can serve as a framework for additional partnerships for other agencies,” said Dr. Adam Stern, an associate professor of forensic pathology at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine.