Race Against the Clock in Effort to Track and Rescue Stranded Animals; More
Than $5.5 Million in Donations for Animal Rescue/Relief Has Poured In
NEW ORLEANS, HATTIESBURG, Miss. and WASHINGTON, Sept. 5 /PRNewswire/ --
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) now has 140 people on the
ground in Louisiana and Mississippi working as part of the organization's
Disaster Animal Response Teams (DART) rescuing and sheltering the animal
victims of Hurricane Katrina. The HSUS has moved its Mississippi command
center from Jackson to Hattiesburg in order to respond more quickly to the
crisis in the southern part of the state, and yesterday, in cooperation with
the Louisiana SPCA, was finally granted access to help stranded pets in New
Orleans.
"We were finally allowed to enter hurricane-ravaged New Orleans
yesterday," said Wayne Pacelle, HSUS president and CEO, "where our rapid
response strike teams are responding to rescue requests for stranded pets. Our
national call center is tracking thousands of calls and emails from people who
need us to rescue their pets, and it's a race against the clock. For some
animals it may be too late, but for others it will be just in time."
As rescue crews continue to pluck people from rooftops, The HSUS is
compiling thousands of reports of pets in need of rescue, and working with the
Louisiana SPCA to deploy trained, skilled animal rescuers to locate, rescue,
and evacuate those animals. Upon entering New Orleans, they targeted animals
stranded at the Superdome as their priority goal. There, they rescued dozens
of animals relinquished or abandoned by desperate evacuees who fled the city
to escape Katrina's rage. So far, The HSUS has helped to rescue more than 300
animals in Louisiana and Mississippi, including dogs, cats, ferrets, and a
seal.
1-800-HUMANE-1 and http://www.hsus.org
The HSUS been inundated with thousands of calls with requests to rescue
pets who were left behind or perhaps denied entrance to the Superdome or other
shelters. Individuals who learn of stranded pets are urged to call the HSUS
call center at 1-800-HUMANE-1, provided they have location information that
can be dispatched to the teams in the field.
The toll-free line is giving HSUS responders such information as the
essential details for rescuing a cat from a house at the corner of Napoleon
and Fontainebleau Streets ... the medicine necessary for an ailing dog ... the
approximate number of animals being tended in a hospital by a brave doctor who
stayed behind to care for his colleagues' pets after they evacuated with their
patients ... and offers of technical assistance for the construction of
appropriate animal housing facilities. All of this will be critical to the
efficient and timely rescue of the animals trapped in the city.
The outpouring of concern for the welfare of the animals has grown amid
reports that evacuees were not allowed to bring their pets with them as they
boarded buses and helicopters. Thousands of concerned citizens have donated to
the relief effort by calling 1-800-HUMANE-1 or by visiting http://www.hsus.org.
People who visit the web site can now see video footage of The HSUS's DART
teams in action in New Orleans. The organization has collected more than $5.5
million for the relief effort.
"The outpouring of concern from people around the country has been
overwhelming," said Pacelle. "They recognize that animals are suffering, too.
Rescuing abandoned pets can offer some peace of mind to the people whose lives
have been shattered by this disaster, and The Humane Society of the United
States is determined to do everything we can to help."
The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest animal
protection organization representing more than 9 million members and
constituents. The non-profit organization is a mainstream voice for animals,
with active programs in companion animals and equine protection, disaster
preparedness and response, wildlife and habitat protection, animals in
research and farm animal welfare. The HSUS protects all animals through
education, investigation, litigation, legislation, advocacy, and field work.
The group is based in Washington and has numerous field representatives across
the country.
SOURCE Humane Society of the United States
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Related links:
http://www.hsus.org
CONTACT:
Rachel Querry, Director of Public Relations
of The Humane Society of the United States, +1-301-258-8255, or
rquerry@hsus.or
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