ASPCA President to speak at UP graduation

NEW YORK - 5/13/05 - The nation's pet overpopulation problem will be the premise of a commencement speech given by Edwin Sayres, president of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).

Sayres will speak at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Veterinary Medicine Monday and says he considers overpopulation the number one problem for companion animals.

"It is an honor to be asked to speak here and extend my best wishes to the graduates and share with them what I believe to be the most important issue today affecting the care and well-being of companion animals," Sayres says in a prepared release.

The ASPCA has played a major role in initiating no-kill animal shelters in New York and dedicates a large portion of the organization's effort toward spay and neuter programs as well as animal medical attention and adoptions.

Sayres says he hopes to help the new doctors recognize the different paths they can follow to make a change with this immense national problem.