Edmonton Humane Society latest adoption blitz being hailed a huge success

Nearly all of the animals at the Edmonton Humane Society were adopted in the first day of the ‘Clear the Shelter’ event.

EHS held the event because of an unusually high number of animals that had recently become available for adoption.

On February 27, animal protection officers seized dozens of animals from a pet store in West Edmonton Mall.

READ MORE: More than 500 birds, reptiles, fish seized from West Edmonton Mall pet store

As of 5:30 p.m. Friday, all of the dogs, guinea pigs, hamsters, lizards, snakes, frogs, crabs, birds, and fish had been adopted out, leaving just a few animals remaining.

“The interest surrounding this event was incredible,” said Evan Lawlor, spokesperson for the  Edmonton Humane Society. “A constant stream of inquiries about the animals has been coming in since the event was announced Monday.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "The interest surrounding this event was incredible," said Evan Lawlor, spokesperson for the  Edmonton Humane Society. "A constant stream of inquiries about the animals has been coming in since the event was announced Monday.

“The attention it received led to an increase in traffic at the shelter, even before the event officially started.”

By Saturday evening, EHS officials said they expected the remainder of the animals to be adopted.

Before this weekend, the largest adoption event that EHS held was in May 2016, when 117 animals were adopted in a single day.

“While we are elated that hundreds of animals found their forever home this week, we also want to remind the community that we take in thousands of homeless, abandoned and neglected companion animals each year, and every day there are more animals in need of a second chance,” added Lawlor.

”We encourage people to consider adopting any time they are looking for a new pet.”