WXYZ (Detroit, Michigan) 09 Febriuary 05 Animal Shelter Worker Kept Job After Feeding Puppies to Python (Ray Sayah)
In the summer of 2002 an employee at Detroit Animal Control was fired for feeding two live puppies to a python. 7 Action News investigators have learned not only is that employee back and again working at Detroit Animal Control, but her boss is full of praise.
"I respect her as an employee of my division and I support my employees," Dr. Angela Hines, the head of Detroit Animal Control, told 7 Action News. "I respect her as an individual and she is a caring person."
That person’s name is Tara McClanahan. A man outside her home told 7 Action News she had nothing to say.
But according to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s office, in August of 2002, McClanahan placed two puppies next to a python, inside an enclosure. She told a co-worker she was feeding the snake – a species that squeezes and strangles its prey before swallowing it whole.
Despite a police investigation and a chorus of calls to throw McClanahan in jail, prosecutors didn’t file charges because they said no one witnessed the feeding.
The incident sparked outrage nationwide. Who could possibly be cruel enough to feed live puppies to a python?
Detroit’s then-Deputy Public Health Director Judith West and the city of Detroit went into damage control. They fired McClanahan and insisted this will never happen again.
"We would not feed puppies to a snake, certainly," West said.
So why is Tara McClanahan back? Who thought it was in the best interest of the animal shelter to bring her back?
7 Action News has learned that shortly after her firing, McClanahan filed a grievance with the city and asked for her job back. Why she got it back is a bit of a mystery.
The city agency that rehired McClanahan is the Department of Health, but when asked why, Deputy Director Dr. Vincent Nathan declined to answer. He cited city policy not to discuss personnel matters.
"We don’t give info on individuals leaving. It’s a department personnel issue," said Nathan.
Sources tell 7 Action News the Health Department took McClanahan back because before she made python food out of puppies, she had a spotless record for 15 years. The Health Department also wants you to rest easy because McClanahan took a refresher course on animal cruelty and they’re sure she won’t turn puppies into python food again.
But when asked what kind of access McClanahan had to animals at the shelter, not even the head of Animal Control, Dr. Angela Hines, gave a clear answer. She could not tell investigator Ray Sayah whether McClanahan still had access to animals.
Animal Shelter Worker Kept Job After Feeding Puppies to Python