WRAL Investigates: NC animal shelter euthanasia rates are trending upward

The euthanasia rate for animal shelters statewide is starting to tick up slightly, after bottoming out during the pandemic, according to numbers provided by the state.

WRAL Investigates analyzed data from 2024 for every county's shelter to find which shelters have the highest euthanasia rates, which have the lowest, and what may be behind that variation.

WRAL Investigates senior producer Randall Kerr discusses which counties are falling behind and how some counties are keeping rates low.

The WRAL Daily Download is an in-depth conversation about a single news story. WRAL covers news across North Carolina every day, but this podcast focuses on one story at a time, bringing context to each conversation. The in-depth, localized podcast takes you into the latest stories from Raleigh, Durham, and the entire Triangle region on North Carolina. This is community news aimed at keeping you informed about the more subtle stories that are happening around you. Hosted by WRAL News journalists, episodes post weekdays by 4:30am.