Rescuers struggle to save pets after Katrina

[leftchick]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050915/ts_nm/katrina_pets_dc_1



NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - Rescuers trying frantically to save animals left behind when people fled Hurricane Katrina have given up on collecting pets and begun simply leaving food and water for them.


Teams from as far afield as Los Angeles and San Diego are traveling around the New Orleans area, wading into flooded areas and checking abandoned neighborhoods to find animals that could not accompany their rescued owners.

"It's very dire," said Kim Noetzel, marketing director of the Arizona Humane Society, which is trying to help coordinate efforts.

There are now more than 4,000 pets in a temporary shelter in nearby Gonzales, and there is nowhere left to take rescued animals. "It is packed to the gills," Noetzel said in a telephone interview.

"We are not bringing any animals in. We are just going in there and making sure they have food and water," said Tony Valenzuela of the Arizona Human Society




A New Orleans paramedic rescues a dog from the attic of a house that until recently was surrounded by floodwaters from Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, Louisiana September 15, 2005. (Brian Snyder/Reuters)




Pets, affected by Hurricane Katrina, relax under a shelter built for them by Georgia National Guard troops at the Louisiana National Guard Jackson Barracks in Orleans Parish, La., Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2005. The Georgia guard has found a compound where they are keeping the displaced pets. (AP Photo/Ric Feld)

[Up2Late]

1. Their was a great interview yesterday with a N.Y. ASPCA Rescuer...

...on WHYY/NPR's radio show "Fresh Air." She said they had already rescued 5000 out of an estimated 40,000 needing rescue.

She said they rescued a 300 pound pet Pig and that people who left Food and water for their pets, most of their pets are doing O.K., though some did drown.

Interview is at the link below: (runtime 32:42)

Rescuing Pets in the Hurricane Zone

Listen to this story...(at link above)

Fresh Air from WHYY, September 14, 2005 · Margaret McLaughlin, director of Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital's veterinary technicians in New York City, is part of an ASPCA rescue team that is finding and treating lost animals in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. She talks about the plight of animals in the battered Gulf Coast states.

<http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4847114>

[leftchick]

6. thank you for the links

I am grateful for any good news about the animals. I comb petfinder.com daily for updates.

[PollyH]

2. Katrina Pets

Thanks ,LeftChick, for the update and the pictures. I feel helpless but have donated to the American Humane Association (AHA); the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS); the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WPSA); and the Louisiana Humane Society (LHS). It must be a nightmare for the volunteers but I try to stay focused on the success stories. All the donations are in the names of my two Golden Retrievers (Murphy and Devon) and my three cats (Meg, Savannah and Rebecca).

[left hand man]

3. HOW could someone leave a pet?

We have a Jack Russell Terrier(Dixie) that is 5 years old. Odd as it sounds to some folks, I could not leave her to fend for herself---I think in this situation I would have sent my wife and pet to safety while I stayed with our house.If my better half would not go,we would take our chances together(the 3 of us).but neither of us would go without Dixie(our "granddoggie").

[PollyH]

4. Leave Pets

I agree. I do not understand how anyone could leave their pets. Most of the time I just keep my mouth shut about that though because people become defensive and have a thousand excuses. I would sleep in a ditch by the side of the road with my guys before I would ever leave them. If I couldn't take them with me then I would stay and we would all suffer together.

[chalky]

5. I'm with you, left hand.

I'v had my kitty for 15 years. I lost his mom 3 years ago and his brother 5 years ago. He's all I have left of my little family, has been there to show me love and affection through thick and thin, and there's no WAY I would abandon him.

[LisaM]

7. I couldn't but some were forced to

like the little boy with Snowball. FEMA had a pet evacuation plan that it ignored. No, Bonnie and Gordie are part of our family.

[kskold]

8. How could someone leave a pet?

If your only chance to get out is riding with someone whose car is already full...
If you can't leave and end up in a shelter that won't allow pets...
If the choice is taking your elderly neighbor with you - or your pet...

Easier to fit a cat (or several) or a small dog in a car. But what about people like my sister? Three kids, three cats, a husband and a Great Dane. They can all fit in the van, but if they didn't have that?

I cannot imagine willingly or carelessly leaving a pet behind. But disasters breed hard choices.

Kristen
Not new, just quiet

[Up2Late]

9. Most of these pets were left behind by their owners because...,

...a dead pet owner isn't much help to the Dog or Cat. A pet has a far better chance of surviving a Hurricane than a human. Most of the responsible pet owners left with the expectation that they would be let back into their neighborhoods when the storm passed.

They left them because hurricane shelters don't generally allow people to bring their pets with them. That's probably one of the largest reasons that people (without private transportation) didn't evacuate themselves, because they chose not to abandon their pet.

So when you have a choice between dying of thirst (which begins at about 4 days) or leaving you pet with a bunch of food and a tub full of water to fend for it's self for a few days, what would you choose?

[lindisfarne]

11. Some people had good reasons to leave pets behind: quickly rising waters,

for example. Others perhaps had to depend on someone else for transport out of NO. Still others were denied evacuation of their pet by rescuers. Some were out of town when the hurricane was forecast and hit.

But MANY others, who could have evacuated their pets, left them, because they just didn't think the hurricane was going to be this bad, or they thought they wouldn't find a hotel which would take them. Some of these pets are now being rescued, but had they been evacuated, rescuers would be getting to other pets whose owners could not evacuate their pets for legitimate reasons.

This kind of thinking needs to change. If you're evacuating your family, evacuate your pets. A lot of hotels waive rules against pets in disaster situations, and we need to put public pressure on for all hotels to do this. Shelters need to provide space for animals.

And many people (not all, I realize: a single parent couldn't do this), in a worst case scenario, could have decided to sleep in their car with their pets.

We need to change the way we handle pets in disasters in our society. There was no reason to deny pets access to buses, for example: certain buses could have been designated for pets, and all the people with pets would have had to deal with travelling with the pets (people without pets could have gone on other buses). Most pets won't take up space a human could occupy on a bus.

[roguevalley]

21. noah's wish founder said for godsake, take them. I would

die with my boys. they are my family, my sons. I would die with them first. I would never be able to live with them being left. I can live with seeing them die before my eyes, rather than not.

[roguevalley]

22. noah's wish founder said for godsake, take them. I would

die with my boys. they are my family, my sons. I would die with them first. I would never be able to live with them being left. I can live with seeing them die before my eyes, rather than not.

[PollyH]

12. No choice

I would take my pets with me. If we had to swim out or walk out we would. If I had to stay and eat dog food with my pets and drink the water they drank, I would. I would abandon no member of my family.

[LostinVA]

24. That's how I feel -- my kitties are truly my furbabies

Heck, my mom has two adult kids (40 and 36), and she said she wouldn't leave her old Westie. He's 15, the apple of her eye, and spoiled like my sister and I NEVER were!

Anyway, I'm not judging people who did leave their pets, but I sincerely mean it when I say I would stay with them. I couldn't leave them any more than I would my parents, my sister, my nephew.... they are my family.

[fleabert]

28. I am with you here.

under NO circumstances would I abandon my flea. She has a life jacket, I'd have strapped it on her, and her leash to me and started swimming if I had to. or, without that, I'd have either stayed with her, or snuck her in a shelter. I would sooner sleep in the street than leave her to nature.

It's inconceivable to me a circumstance that I would choose to leave her. Period. It is on par with my leaving a toddler or small child in my book. They are that dependent.

[lindisfarne]

10. VOLUNTEERS are desperately needed at all the shelters housing

animals rescued. If you can help, please do so!
There are big shelters in Hattiesburg, MS, Tylertown, MS, Gonzales, LA, Baton Rouge, LA (at LSU), and others.
You can find their locations or ask about their locations at this forum: http://forums.petfinder-network.com/viewforum.php?f=16

Also, if you know anyone who has a pet in New Orleans, tell them to go in and rescue it now! People are getting in.
If your pet has been rescued, all you stand to lose is some time and gas money. The animal rescue organizations are doing all that they can (and then some) but there are so many pets that they can't do it all.

This website has ideas on how to get past the checkpoints, etc. If you're turned away at one place, keep trying.
http://forums.petfinder-network.com/viewtopic.php?t=74812

Also, if you find your pet has been rescued, you should just try going
directly to the various shelters. There's a big shelter in Gonzales LA (most pets aren't yet in the data base - they're too busy still rescuing) and one at Parker Coliseum at LSU (www.vetmed.lsu.edu - call first as most of their pets are pets evacuees dropped off, rather than rescued pets, at least as far as I understand). There are multiple other organizations as well.

Did your pet have any identification, rabies tag, etc. on it? That would help (if you knew the rabies tag number).

Lamar Dixon Expo Center 9039 St. Landry Road
Gonzales, LA (outside Baton Rouge area)

www.vetmed.lsu.edu has some forms for volunteers to fill out. The Parker Coliseum shelter is also taking walk-in volunteers - there are numbers on that webpage you can call to verify this. Map showing where Parker
Coliseum is on the LSU campus is at this link:
http://www.lsu.edu/campus/maps/COLI01.html

[leftchick]

13. Thank you!

If I was within 100 miles I woud be there. Sadly I am in NC with 2 children in school and a hubby gone on business most of the week.

I would LOVE to help!

:(

[peacebuzzard]

16. These people are angels.

I think I will go there on my days off in a few days. I don't have spare cash, but I do have some time and I can see what I can do. Thank you for the link.

[shireen]

14. Please sign this petition

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/750226838

"Pet Safe is a Red Cross program in Nassau County, NY that is a cooperative effort of local groups and government working together to assist people and their pets during times of disasters. We're asking the American Red Cross to adopt it as a national program."

[rocktivity]

15. If people had been allowed to take their pets with them

they wouldn't be getting shot at now.

:mad:
rocknation

[shireen]

18. we need to press for changes!

It is practical for animals to go to shelters with their humans. It's apparently done in the UK, and there's a program for it at Nassau Co. NY. See my post abt the petition to make this a national Red cross shelter policy.

[shireen]

17. leaving food & water -- not as bad as you think

"....given up on collecting pets and begun simply leaving food and water for them."

according to someone who volunteered at the shelter, who posted on the nola.com animal forum, the people doing this work are smart and experienced. There are situations where the animal is better off at its home than at the shelter. If the animal is better off at its home, they keep it supplied with food and water.

[lindisfarne]

19. They're leaving food/water for some animals which are in houses and

they are doing some strategic feeding on the streets because they know they can't get to all the animals in time - by leaving food/water, they are buying time.
In some parishes (St. Bernards, Plaquemine) the situation is extremely desperate for the animals (in other parishes, the situation is merely "desperate" for many animals). Rescuers weren't let in for a while and they're only letting in a few rescuers. A lot of animals won't make it there.

Animals aren't safe on the street. As people start returning, they stand to get hit by cars, etc. But the shelters are really getting full and the rescuers can only bring back so many animals each day. If there was more shelter space and more rescuers, they'd be bringing more animals back.

[CAcyclist]

30. But that's rolling the dice

On the other hand, on my veterinary discussion list, I have been reading some horror stories of overwhelmed vets and techs and inadequate support to handle the influx of animals. Some shelters are doing fine and some are not.


Edited to add:

We need to change the laws, not just with the feds to allow people to bring their pets with them in disasters, but also all ground transportation - buses, trains - need to allow people to take their pets with them and hotels need to allow people to bring their pets. In short, this country's industry attitudes towards pets have to change.

Possibly more people would have evacuated if those industries already allowed pets. I know if I didn't have a car and couldn't afford to rent one, I would have stayed with my pets rather than leave the city and leave them behind.

[Princess Turandot]

20. Zogby is polling on this in their most recently released online..

survey; it was abt half of the serious questions. They included responsibility for the bungling of the pet rescue & whether you would choose not to evacuate if you could not take a pet with you.

[leftchick]

23. That is interesting..

have you gotten the results of that poll yet?

I love your kitties. I have four and my little guy, 5 months, looks just like your Gray baby second one in. :)

[ellie]

25. I would never leave my three cats.

Never. Under any circumstances.

[lindisfarne]

26. What if you had 3 kids plus 3 cats, and 1 minute to get into the

basement because a tornado was heading toward your house?

I agree that many people weren't in these circumstances, but at least some were after the levee break. Had they had the means to evacuate before Katrina, they should have (taking their pets along) but a significant chunk of the poorest NO residents didn't get out before the hurricane, and they live in the areas nearest the levees. Of course, if our evacuation policies were more comprehensive,reflecting actual realities, this didn't have to happen.

[sweetjake]

27. I couldn't leave my pets

If I saw that Hurricane coming up the Gulf (especially after growing up in Florida and living there until I went to college), and knowing that as a Cat 5 it would destroy much of the Gulf coast from the Eastern border of LA to parts of AL, I would have been long gone by Friday with my husband, daughter,2 dogs and my 3 year old Parakeet.

I don't know how any able-bodied person with transportation of their own didn't come to the same conclusion (so many in MS and AL) and I'm just so devastated by the failure of the government to evacuate those who weren't able to leave New Orleans.

[Booster]

29. Me either, and the main reason I'd have to stay is that they would

be hiding someplace watching every move I made, and I just couldn't leave knowing that they were watching me turn my back on them. :cry: