Now that we’re having a very active hurricane season it’s encouraging to see how animal rescue efforts have improved since Katrina. For example, in an article on nola.com we read about how many animal rescue organizations were entering Louisiana as residents were evacuating to avoid Hurricane Gustav, and how many more people this time chose to take their pets with them when they fled the storms.
“The American Humane Association was one of several national organizations that arrived as Gustav entered the Gulf, and it took part in the Louisiana State Animal Response Team (LSART). The International Fund for Animal Welfare and Animal Rescue League of Boston was here after the recent rescue of farm animals in the flooded areas of the Midwest. Also participating in LSART shelter operations were the ASPCA, Best Friends, Code 3, the Humane Society of the United States, United Animal Nations and Noah’s Wish. Many of these groups also helped local animals after Katrina and are working in other evacuation shelters during this evacuation.
The Best Friends Rapid Response Team provided 3,000 pet carriers when it learned some animals were turned away from buses because they didn’t have their own carriers. The group also assisted at the Jefferson Parish shelter.
The groups provided manpower for the state’s “mega shelter” in Shreveport.”
“Last August, an American Humane Association survey revealed that about 47 percent of pet owners would be reluctant to evacuate without their pets. Many died during Katrina because of this strong animal-human bond.
This time, with Gustav, the empty streets of New Orleans prove that a lot has changed. More people are leaving and more evacuees are taking their pets with them. And those without private transportation no longer have to leave their pets behind. Thanks to new law, policy and practice, the evacuation and treatment of our pets during storms has changed dramatically since Katrina. And that winds up benefiting their owners, too.”
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You can also read about dozens of “Storm Orphans” now safe at Best Friends on their website.
