the pets

[absynthia]

With all the tragedy going on, we are not hearing very much about all the thousands (millions?) of pets that have had to be abandoned due to Hurricane Katrina. Many people in New Orleans that chose not to evacuate, did so just because they didn't want to abandon their pets -- they were rescued from their rooftops or waded through floods, with their pets in tow, to find shelter. But now many of them are being forced to just abandon their dogs and cats on I-10 as they board the buses to leave the city. There were pets left in flooded buildings and on rooftops when there was not enough room in the rescue boats. Some owners just turned their pets out to fend for themselves rather than leave them trapped in flooding buildings. One of the very first reports I heard on CNN and the one that has stayed with me the strongest was a audio-only report from the first night -- the reporter said that not only could you hear people yelling from their rooftops and attics to be rescued, but also crying and yelping animals that were stranded.

All of these organizations are begging for donations to help in the animal rescue efforts.
A different way for some of us to help. :)

Noah's Wish

The Humane Society

American Humane

International Fund for Animal Welfare

ASPCA Disaster Relief Fund

Northshore Animal League

EARS: Emergency Animal Rescue Service

**Where possible, I've linked to the page on each site that shows how they are currently involved in Hurricane Katrina rescue instead of their main page.