COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCBD) – The first No Kill South Carolina (NKSC) 2024 State Summit was held in Columbia Wednesday, with over 40 state and national animal advocacy groups in attendance.

The goal of the conference is to end animal euthanasia due to overcapacity at shelters in South Carolina by 2024.

Shelters in South Carolina are plagued by underfunding and overcrowding, which creates a desperate situation.

South Carolina is “a state where shelters are underfunded, where we have no statewide regulations of animal shelters, no state-required training of Animal Control Officers and no required data reporting for all animal shelters,” said President and CEO of Charleston Animal Society Joe Elmore.

NKSC is working to improve communication and cooperation among shelters statewide and nationally in hopes of alleviating some of the pressure shelters are feeling.

According to NKSC, the data is moving in the right direction. Open-admission shelters, which NKSC said have the highest typical kill rates, are moving away from the practice.

Some of the organizations participating included the Charleston Animal Society, ASPCA, Association of Shelter Veterinarians, Humane Society of the United States, Petco Love, Petsmart Charities, Bissell Pet Foundation, and the National Animal Care and Control Association.