Los Angeles Animal Shelters Officially Become No-Kill

The city of Los Angeles, California has made its animal shelters no-kill thanks to the efforts of Best Friends Animal Society, the city, L.A. Animal Services, several animal welfare organizations, animal-loving leaders, and a dedicated community.

When Best Friends Animal Society first launched the NKLA (No-Kill Los Angeles) initiative in 2012, only 56 percent of dogs and cats were making it out of Los Angeles city shelters alive—nearly half of them were being euthanized. In 2020, the city sustained a save rate of 90.49 percent. 

Julie Castle, Chief Executive Officer at Best Friends Animal Society said, “I can’t even begin to describe how huge this is. Los Angeles is the second most populous city in the entire country, and now has become the most populous, geographically largest and most racially and economically diverse city to become no-kill.”

The achievement of NKLA, a Best Friends initiative, represents 10 years of passion, commitment, blood, sweat and tears. Check out this video by Best Friends that shows the history of NKLA:

Best Friends has a goal to make every community in the U.S. no-kill by 2025.