Katrina animals, update on rescue efforts

The Thursday, October 6, edition of USA Today has a front page story headed, "Trapped New Orleans pets still being rescued." It is on line at http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-10-05-rescue-pets-cover_x.htm. I will quote from it and also provide some updates and contact information for those who wish to help. As the article makes clear, animals are still being saved, and help is still desperately needed.

The USA Today piece opens:
"For weeks after Hurricane Katrina struck, the only noise here in the empty neighborhoods of sodden houses was the barking of dogs. Then the barking stopped. Dogs are still here, but many are too hoarse and weak to make a sound. Many others have died. But hundreds of volunteer pet rescuers insist it's not too late.

"The animals we are finding now are emaciated and sick and lonely, but we are still finding them alive,' says Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States.

"Across the New Orleans area, the largest pet rescue operation in U.S. history has been a backdrop to the human suffering and the questions of how and when communities can be rebuilt. But from the start, pets have been part of the story — from the tens of thousands of animals left behind by their owners because shelters and hotels wouldn't accept them, to the scattered residents who risked their lives and refused to evacuate so they could stay with their pets.

"Five weeks after the flooding began, animal rescue teams continue to fan across New Orleans and surrounding parishes every day at dawn in a race against diminishing odds. They gather up hundreds of desperate pets every day — more than 8,000 so far. And they leave behind fresh water and dry food for the dogs and cats roaming the streets that rescuers do not have enough staff to find or collect.

We read "that some pets are being flown to shelters in two dozen other states....After Oct. 15, most of the pets that have not been claimed can be put up for adoption under applicable state laws, Pacelle says. However, he says that deadline could be extended because so many pets are still arriving at shelters. Animals that are not claimed will be kept at the shelters across the country until they can be adopted, he says."

That quote suggests that none of the animals will be killed, which is heartening. In fact, out of the many thousands rescued, apparently less than 100 have been deemed by HSUS too ill to recover and have been euthanized. However, not all of the shelters to which animals are being shipped are no-kill shelters. If the Katrina animals are not to be killed, at kill shelters they may displace others, who will lose their chance of finding homes -- and of life. I just spoke to Michael Mountain, of Best Friends, a wonderful Utah sanctuary (no-kill) not mentioned in this article but which has a temporary sanctuary in the Katrina disaster area. That group has just acquired two large air-conditioned trucks to transport animals across the country to no-kill rescue groups. If you have a group that is able to foster animals, and help adopt out those who are not reunited with their families, please let Best Friends know by visiting http://www.bestfriends.org/HF/FO.cfm and filling out the fo rm. Or you can email their disaster relief team at hurricane [at] bestfriends.org

(Note: As I send out this alert on Thursday afternoon the Best Friends website seems to have gone down temporarily -- perhaps overwhelmed -- but will surely be up again shortly.)

The Petfinder website also has a form where you can register to foster animals: http://disaster.petfinder.com/emergency/foster/index.cgi

The USA Today article refers to Jane Garrison's terrific work:
"The concern now is for animals still trapped in houses.... Jane Garrison...has divided the city into 35 sectors and dispatches search teams after dawn each day."

Jane is still desperate for people to help her, and will not turn away anybody who shows up. There is some upheaval now in the area, as animals have been moved out of the Lamar-Dixon facility, and Jane and her crew are elsewhere. However Priscilla Gargalis is in touch with Jane regularly and is happy to provide information and help coordinate efforts. Please get in touch with Priscilla at pgargalis [at] yahoo.com

And Brenda Shoss of Kinship Circle is an excellent resource who is also working with many of the other rescue groups in the region. Brenda is at info [at] kinshipcircle.org or
314-863-9445 (desk)
314-795-2646 (cell)

Here is good news from the USA Today piece:

"The images of residents on their roofs, stranded after staying behind with their pets, and packs of gaunt, frightened dogs roaming through debris after Katrina have led to changes in evacuation policies. As Hurricane Rita approached last month, Texas suspended rules that barred pets from shelters there. The state's homeland security chief, Steve McCraw, urged evacuees to take their pets with them. The Humane Society is urging Congress to pass a bill that would require state and local emergency management agencies that receive federal funding to allow pets to be included in evacuation plans."

You can find out more about that bill, and even send a letter to your representatives in support of it, at the HSUS website at https://community.hsus.org/campaign/pets_act_house/explanation

If you have not yet signed the petition in support of the bill, please go to http://go.care2.com/e/gfO/bR/oco4 and sign. There are currently almost 70,000 signatures, with 100,000 being the goal.

This story on the front page of the most widely distributed newspaper in the US provides the perfect opportunity for letters to the editor in support of the PETS Act, or on other aspects of our treatment of other species. Those who cannot give hands-on assistance should not underestimate the importance of making sure this issue is part of public discussion. USA Today takes letters at http://asp.usatoday.com/marketing/feedback/feedback-online.aspx?type=18 OR http://tinyurl.com/cee7y


(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at http://www.DawnWatch.com. If you forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts, please do so unedited -- leave DawnWatch in the title and include this tag line.)