Fort McMurray SPCA has said the number of animals being adopted has dropped since public health restrictions began lifting.

Executive Director Charles Brandsgard commented that COVID did have a huge impact on adoptions since 2020.

Brandsgard said that in 2019 they received 474 animals, 571 in 2020, and 606 in 2021.

As for animals adopted, he explained that 559 were adopted in 2019, 571 in 2020, and only 552 last year.

Fewer animals had been adopted in 2021 and more had been brought in than in previous years.

“Since 2021 people are starting to go back to work, so some of those animals would be surrendered. That’s something most cities were seeing.”

Brandsgard explained that it’s not all bad, “luckily in conjunction with the RMWB, we’ve expanded the rooms we have available. Our expansion was completed last year in November. A reason why we were seeing more was that we could take in more animals.”

To control the population, he says they’ve started a program called Mom’s Last Litter.

Moms with their litters are brought in and are either spayed or neutered and returned.

The puppies or kept and adopted out which Brandsgard says is a slow way to help reduce the population.

Last year 77 animals were put through the Mom’s Last Litter program.

If you wish to adopt an animal, you can go to fmspca.ca to find out more