Hurricane Harvey: Animal rescues nationwide rally to help
Hurricane Harvey tore through Texas abandoning thousands of animals. Nationwide rescues and shelters rally to help.
Animal rescue groups and public officials throughout the U.S. are working to save pets and other animals as they continue to be displaced in the wake of Harvey.
Homeless animals living in Texas shelters are being transported to rescue groups throughout the country as Harvey’s floodwaters continue to rise in affected areas of the state.
The Texas Department of Transportation tweeted a video of a group of cattle being herded through floodwaters and pouring rain on State Highway 124 in Beaumont to higher ground.
New Jersey’s St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center — just one of many groups looking to help displaced animals — flew in at least 100 dogs from Texas, and coordinated their placement through a network of other shelters, NJ.com reported.
Dogs being evacuated during Hurricane Harvey. (Marie D. De Jesus/Houston Chronicle via AP)
Relocating those homeless dogs from Texas gives them the opportunity to be adopted in other states — and allows non-homeless pets from flooded areas room to stay in the shelters, so they can stay close to home.
Residents and pets evacuate Houston during Harvey. (Godofredo A. Vasquez/Houston Chronicle via AP)
"We want to be able to connect them back to their families after the hurricane," Debra Miller, of St. Hubert’s, said. "We want to empty the shelters to make space for those pets."
A number of animals at the Tall Tails Kennel in Hankamer, Texas were rescued by Chambers County law enforcement, according to a Facebook post by the Sheriff’s Office. Video shows the animals being evacuated in cages via boat.
In addition to animals being rescued, fire ants are adapting to the floodwaters by forming into “clumps." The species join together — in groups ranging from thousands to millions of the insects — by using their jaws and legs to grab hold of each other, according to Popular Science.
Some 250,000 animals of all kinds were displaced or died in 2005 during Hurricane Katrina.
"Unlike during Katrina, first responders understand the power of the human-animal bond, and know that saving the animals is part of their responsibility now, too," wrote Wayne Pacelle, the CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, in a blog post.
Those who want to help animals displaced by Hurricane Harvey can do so by donating to The Humane Society.
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