The Animal Crisis

Deja Vu (Help arrives... too little too late)

So I've been gratified to learn that The Humane Society and other animal rescue organizations have finally been allowed into disaster areas this week. I read story after story about hundreds of pets and zoo, farm and exotic animals being saved... but thousands more waiting for help. They estimate that at least 60% of the population in New Orleans were pet owners, and that at least 50,000 animals are trapped in overheated houses running out of food and water. Thousands of people have called HSUS Emergency hotlines, directing rescuers to homes where their pets are trapped. And there are a LOT rescuers... just not enough. They're spread too thin, between all the crisis areas along the coast.

Just as I can start breathing a sigh of relief for the people of New Orleans... my worry for the other victims of the storm is renewed ten-fold.

They need more people... and though the plethora of federal, state and local personnel in the areas want to help... even direct the rescuers to animals they know are in need, their orders are to help people only. Even though most of the city has been evacuated of people who actually WANT to leave. There are too many animals... family members... that will die cuz there's not enough help to get to them in time. Now, whereas I understand the emphasis on human life first... I can't help but think that a happy medium could still be reached in this. At least the authorities are realizing that they can only help their cause (wanting to evacuate EVERYBODY) by allowing those who refuse to leave without their pets, to do so.

Hopeful Stories

And still... there are small inklings of good news:

Evacuees who smuggled their pets out to shelters and transportation that wouldn't allow animals (one lady who hid her love bird in her considerably sized bra).

The New Orleans Zoo who prepared for the storm ahead of time, and a handful of handlers still sticking it out to take care of the animals for as long as they can. Most of the animals have survived so far. I just hope the people aren't kicked out with the rest of the mandatory evacuation, only to leave the zoo's residents to starve. At least until perhaps the zoo animals can be evacuated as well.

The anesthesiologist who stayed at one of the hospitals to watch over his colleagues pets while everybody else was evacuated. The ones who hadn't been euthenized by their owners, afraid of worse fates for them should they be abandoned. I know that the hospital was one of the first goals of the HSUS rescuers when they got into the city. The other priority being the SuperDome... where they found dozens of animals that evacuees had been forced to leave behind.

An abandoned animal shelter in Mississippi, flooded after a sewage pipe burst with the storm's surge, held over 100 animals... the ones kept in top cages managing to swim to keep their heads above water for days. The ones in bottom cages not having the luxury to swim for their lives.

To Help... But How?

Tons of stories... I've been checking with the Humane Society website pretty regularly to read updates. I've actually attached a solicitation banner to my blog for the first time *pointing right* I'm normally not into that, but I feel strongly enough about this. I'm still pondering the prospect of volunteering myself to the effort... I'm just not sure whether I would be a help or a hindrance. But I also know that there's a lot of work still to be done AFTER the animals are out of immediate peril. Just like their human counterparts, they're gonna need care, supplies, and homes. Perhaps I'll be able to find a way to help that way.