Darrell Eldred, the former deputy director of the city’s General Services Division, will be running the Memphis Animal Shelter on a day-to-day basis.

Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. announced this morning that Eldred will serve as head of the troubled shelter as his administration conducts a national search for a new one. Wharton fired Ernest Alexander overnight. He confirmed the firing at a Friday morning press conference.

Wharton’s initial reaction after a raid on the shelter last month by the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department and the District Attorney General’s Office was to appoint a task force to study operations and leave all employees in place.

That changed when a dog at the shelter was euthanized this week without using proper procedures. Word of the dog’s death prompted Wharton to fire Alexander.

Wharton also announced he has hired Lucy Shaw, a former director of the Regional Medical Center at Memphis, as a consultant in the review of Animal Shelter operations.

Also Friday, cameras were installed at the shelter that provide a view of the shelter from several vantage points. Their images are refreshed every 30 seconds. They can be viewed here: http://www.memphistn.gov/AnimalShelter/default.aspx.