Best Friends Animal Society logo. (PRNewsFoto) KANAB, UT USA

    KANAB, Utah, May 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Just a week before the official
start of the 2006 hurricane season, the Louisiana Pet Evacuation Bill, S.B.
607, goes before the state Senate Finance Committee. Led by Senator
Fontenot's office, this is landmark, model legislation, fully supported by
Best Friends Animal Society and other national humane organizations.
    (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050831/LAW108LOGO )
    It is reported that at least one third of the people who refused to
evacuate during Hurricane Katrina did so in order not to abandon their
pets. There was no plan to evacuate animals -- no place for people to take
them. Some people even lost their lives because they would not leave family
pets. In the end, tens of thousands of displaced pets were left to fend for
themselves in an abandoned city.
    The new bill calls for animals to be evacuated with their families as
long as there is no danger to human life, for animal shelters to be
provided "side by side" with human shelters wherever possible, for pets to
be allowed on public transportation or given separate transportation, and
for a tracking system to identify and locate displaced pets.
    This common sense legislation would save lives, both animal and human.
    But the State Veterinarian's office poses a major threat to the success
of the bill:
    The Louisiana State Veterinarian's Office is working to block
out-of-state licensed veterinarians from helping animals in the event of a
disaster.
    Specifically, the state vet's office has stated that they "will never
again allow out-of-state vets to come in" and help save animals stranded
and dying as a result of a disaster, even if in-state vets are in
critically short supply.
    Indeed, during Katrina, most local vets were themselves affected by the
disaster and not able to help with the recovery efforts. Yet, for months
after the disaster, the state veterinarian prohibited out-of-state licensed
veterinarians from coming in to volunteer their services.
    The state vet's protectionist policy renders the Pet Evacuation Bill
useless, because it forces humane organizations to provide sheltering
without backup veterinary support. This obsessive protectionism in times of
disaster is morally wrong and against the interests of the citizens of
Louisiana. No responsible humane agency can support emergency animal
sheltering without sufficient veterinary resources.
    The state veterinarian has also indicated that no rescue organization
will be allowed into the state to help save animals unless each member of
the organization is fully credentialed. But they have never stated what
credentials would be required in order for people to help save animals.
    And the state vet's office has announced that every animal must have a
health certificate before they can be transported out of the state. They
add that people have 30 days prior to a disaster to obtain such a
certificate -- as if people can predict the dates of future disasters or
can pay to renew certificates for every pet every month. It would also be
prohibitively expensive for all but one or two of the nation's wealthiest
humane groups to obtain a health certificate for each animal they rescue.
And there is no indication where the vets to issue the health certificates
will come from during a disaster, since no outside vets will be allowed in.
    Finally, S.B. 607 has prompted a plan to have rescue groups enter into
memos of understanding with local parishes to provide animal rescue and
sheltering services during a disaster. But the state vet's office has
stated they themselves will act as lead agency for any pet evacuation, not
the individual parishes, even while conceding that it holds no statutory
authority to control animal evacuations.
    When emergencies strike, there is no time for turf wars. The interests
of citizens and their pets come first. No humane organization wants to be
spending time and energy fighting a bureaucratic battle with the state
veterinarian's office.
    Best Friends Animal Society is in full support of the Louisiana Pet
Evacuation Bill, S.B. 607, and calls upon the Louisiana State
Veterinarian's Office to work with Senator Fontenot and the national humane
organizations to fulfill the spirit of this landmark legislation that will
be a model for other states nationwide.
    About Best Friends Animal Society: Best Friends Animal Society is
working with shelters and rescue groups nationwide to bring about a time
when there will be no more homeless pets. Best Friends operates the
country's largest sanctuary for homeless animals, and provides adoption,
spay/neuter, and educational programs nationwide.
    "Kindness to animals builds a better world for all of us."

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