May 8, 2008
Humane Society International and The Humane Society of the United States Deploy Animal Rescue Experts to Chile After Volcanic Eruption
Humane Society International and The Humane Society of the United States have been in communication with Chilean animal welfare organizations since the eruption earlier this week and have now sent highly trained animal rescue specialists to the affected area. The evacuation forced residents to leave behind approximately 4,000 companion animals and 50,000 farm animals to fend for themselves.
The team will deploy to Chile on Thursday, and travel to heavily impacted Chaitén.
"After hearing that local news reports are calling Chaitén a 'City taken by dogs', due to the large number of animals wandering the now-abandoned streets, I knew we had to move quickly in order to save these desperate animals," said Scotlund Haisley, HSUS senior director of emergency services. "We are also attempting to get animal rescue specialists into Myanmar to help animals in areas devastated by the recent cyclone."
In Chile, HSI/HSUS expertise was urgently needed, as the volcano continues to billow poisonous ash, spew lava and endanger the many animals stranded there. Drinking sources in the evacuated town of Chaitén have been contaminated by volcanic ash and food supplies are scarce, leaving the animals in a dire situation.
HSI/HSUS animal rescue personnel will join forces with Chilean animal welfare groups ACUAA and CEFU, with whom HSI has fostered long-standing relationships. The goal will be to offer fresh food, water and medical assistance to affected animals. The HSUS will also strive to assist in reuniting animals with their families once residents are permitted to return to their homes.
May 7, 2008
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| The HSUS © |
| Dogs in KY Sanctuary before transport |
The Humane Society of the United States, in partnership with the Bowling Green Humane Society, will remove 64 dogs Thursday from an overcrowded animal sanctuary that is closing its doors. The HSUS Animal Rescue team will remove the dogs from the Safe Harbor Animal Sanctuary in Butler County, Ky. The dogs will then be assessed and checked by a veterinarian at the Bowling Green Humane Society. After spending a night at the Bowling Green Humane Society all 64 dogs will travel comfortably in the HSUS’ fully-equipped animal transport vehicle to the Humane Society of Broward County in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. There, they will be adopted out into loving homes.
April 30, 2008
Eyes On the West Coast
Our Emergency Services team has been monitoring the California wildfires, which were reportedly 60 percent contained as of Tuesday afternoon. HSUS regional staff are keeping tabs on several areas affected by the fires and will advise Emergency Services if any assistance is requested.The Animal Rescue team is also monitoring the Nevada earthquake and is available to respond to either of the affected areas if local officials request our assistance.
April 29, 2008
Eyes On Virginia
Our Emergency Services team has reached out to state and local officials to see if we can be of any assistance after three tornadoes ripped through southern Virginia, damaging dozens of homes and injuring more than 200 people. While officials have not yet reported any animals in need, we will continue to communicate with the proper officials and send out our Animal Rescue team to assist if necessary.
April 24, 2008
The Humane Society of the Unites States' Animal Rescue Team has successfully completed the rescue of 11 malnourished horses living in inhumane conditions in Gadsen County, Fl. The HSUS was called in by local authorities to assist in this ongoing case. The owner was not able to provide the proper care for the horses, and therefore chose to surrender them.
The HSUS Animal Rescue Team then came in with their specialized transport equipment and removed all 11 horses. They are now at the Florida Agriculture and Mining University being vetted and awaiting adoption.
"These horses were visibly gaunt and lacked access to adequate food. They were also living in inhumane conditions and were obviously not being cared for properly," said Melissa Forberg, HSUS Emergency Services respondent. "I am glad that we were able to intervene and rescue these horses from a potentially deadly situation. They all have healthy, happy lives ahead of them."
This type of rescue is made possible by The HSUS’ well-structured alert and response system. In this case, local authorities contacted Southeast Regional Office Director Laura Bevan to apprise her of the situation at hand. Bevan then reached out to Animal Rescue Team members in the area who were able to respond quickly to rescue the horses and transport them to a safe environment.
April 21, 2008
By Scotlund Haisley
After traveling more than 1,000 miles in two days, the 47 dogs removed from an overcrowded shelter in Osceola, Mo. have reached their final destination at Main Line Animal Rescue in Chester Springs, Pa. These dogs, who were rescued from a hoarding situation and Missouri puppy mills, will now live out their lives in loving forever homes.
This transport was a true collaborative effort—with 5 local organizations working alongside The HSUS to save the lives of these needy animals.
When our Animal Rescue team arrived at the Osceola city animal shelter on Friday, we found 47 anxious dogs being housed in the tiny, unequipped facility. Once the dogs were loaded into our custom-built transport vehicle they quickly settled in for the ride.
We stopped at the Missouri Humane Society, the Humane Society of Indianapolis and the Franklin County Humane Society for three much-needed pit stops during the trip. Staff there helped our Animal Rescue Team feed and exercise the dogs while the transport van was cleaned and readied for the remainder of the trip. We would like to extend our thanks to everyone who helped to complete this mission.
"The dogs are all happy, safe and ready to start new lives," said Bill Smith, founder of Main Line Animal Rescue. "Although they got a rough start in life, these dogs are all surprisingly resilient and should be easy to place in new homes."
The whole HSUS crew let out a sigh of relief when all 47 dogs finally reached Main Line Animal Rescue on Sunday. They will be vetted and evaluated there before being put up for adoption. We are confident that all of the dogs have bright, happy lives waiting ahead.
April 18, 2008
The HSUS Transfers Animals from Missouri Hoarding Case and Puppy Mills to Pennsylvania for Adoption
When The Humane Society of the United States Animal Rescue Team pulled up to the overburdened animal shelter in Osceola, Mo. they were greeted by 53 dogs rescued from a hoarding situation and several local puppy mills. The HSUS will transport these dogs to Pennsylvania, where they will be given a chance at finding loving forever homes.
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"The animal control officer here is working out of an outdated, unequipped facility, and desperately needed assistance to save these animals from a life of confinement and neglect," said Scotlund Haisley, HSUS senior director of emergency services. "Up to this point, these dogs have never been shown human kindness, but thankfully we are here to give them a new lease on life."
The HSUS' Animal Rescue Team arrived in Osceola on Friday to load the animals into its 75-foot custom-built animal transport vehicle for their journey. The dogs will be delivered to Main Line Animal Rescue in Chester Springs, Pa on Sunday. The animals will be evaluated and medically treated prior to being put up for adoption.
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Of the 53 dogs, 17 came from a hoarding situation and the rest were rescued by the animals control officer from local puppy mills. The puppy mill dogs are mainly female yorkies, Pomeranians and beagles that have ceased to produce puppies, and are therefore of no use to the puppy mill owners. Because of the cruel nature of puppy mills many of these unwanted dogs are simply shot or left out to starve. Thanks to the intervention of one dedicated animal control officer and the assistance of The HSUS these lucky dogs will get another chance at life.
"Right now these dogs are wary of humans due to being institutionalized their whole lives, but pretty soon they will be like new dogs. Their first experience walking on grass is always a touching moment. Because they have been housed in chicken-wire crates they basically walk like a cat with tape on the paws of his feet. Seeing them learn to walk properly and enjoying the outdoors for the first time is very rewarding," added Haisley.
April 5, 2008
A horse who had been trapped on a ledge in Ohio is back with his herd. Last night, HSUS animal rescuers rappelled down to the horse to provide him with food and water. When they returned this morning to begin a rescue operation, they found the horse had found his own way off the ledge.
The horse and his herd are owned, said a local Animal Control Officer.
The HSUS spoke with area residents about a downed fence and advised them how to put an attractive barrier at the top of the ravine so more animals won't be at future risk. One HSUS animal rescuer spent some time with local fire and rescue personnel and gave them tips about large animal rescue.
April 4, 2008
The Humane Society of the United States' Animal Rescue Team has been deployed to assist in rescuing a horse who has been stranded in a ravine in Powhatan Point, Ohio since Thursday. Days End Farm Horse Rescue has requested The HSUS's large animal handling expertise.
The horse is now on a ledge near the Ohio-West Virginia border.
The HSUS will be on the ground at 11 p.m. tonight and will assess the situation for a morning rescue. The HSUS has a helicopter on standby. One possible means of rescue is to cut a walking trail from the horse's location to a point where the horse can then either get to the top or bottom of the ravine.
View a slideshow about the stranded horse.
April 1, 2008
By Scotlund Haisley
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| The HSUS |
Field responder Melissa Forberg
unloads an excited dog in Florida! |
A new life started Monday for the animals from the soon-to-close St. Bernard Parish animal shelter in Louisiana.
Freed from the shelter that had been, in some cases, their only home, the 43 dogs and eight cats traveled to their new home in Florida in our custom-built, air-conditioned emergency transport vehicle.
There, thanks to the SPCA of Tampa Bay and the Humane Society of Broward County, they have an excellent chance of adoption.
It took only about two hours to load the animals in Louisiana during the weekend. They were excited at first, but soon settled in for the trip. I think they knew that something good was happening for them.
As our transport vehicle pulled up to the Tampa Bay facility after the 10-hour drive, the dogs and cats acted like they couldn't wait to experience their temporary new homes in the shelter. And it didn't take long to realize that these animals were in for a very good future. As the staff at Tampa Bay saw each animal, we heard over and over "Oh, isn't she pretty!" and "This one will get adopted so fast!" Fantastic news for animals that last week had little or no chance of being adopted to a loving family.
Tampa Bay kept all eight cats and nine of the dogs, and after a good night's sleep (for both dogs and humans) we continued on to Ft. Lauderdale with the 34 remaining dogs. There we received the same wonderful reaction and the dogs took the next step in their journey to their new life.
Our animal rescue team is proud to be able to offer these animals a chance for happiness. We’re here for the animals, always.
March 31, 2008
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| The HSUS |
| Loading up for the trip to Florida. |
The HSUS Transfers Animals from New Orleans area to Florida for Adoption
Forty-four dogs and eight cats are arriving in Florida for adoption after being moved out of the New Orleans area by The Humane Society of the United States to make way for a new animal shelter to be constructed in St. Bernard Parish.
The HSUS's animal rescue team arrived in St. Bernard Parish, La. Friday to load the animals for their journey. The team delivered the homeless animals to the SPCA in Tampa Bay, Fla. on Sunday and then The HSUS's 75-foot animal transport vehicle continued on to the Humane Society of Broward County in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
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| St. Bernard Parish shelter. |
The animals will be evaluated and medically treated prior to being put up for adoption.
This animal transfer is part of The HSUS's continuing efforts to assist in the Gulf Coast.
Some of the animals survived the storm, some were surrendered by owners, and others belonged to temporary residents.
Two of the dogs who were transferred to new Florida shelters, German shepherds named Big Sis and Lil' Sis, were picked up as strays after they were turned loose at a construction site. Using the dogs' tags, shelter staff tracked down the owners—construction workers who had traveled to New Orleans to help rebuild—but the workers said they didn't want them anymore.
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| A young pup is ready to go. |
Now, Big Sis and Lil' Sis will get a fresh start toward becoming part of a Florida family.
The HSUS expressed gratitude to the shelters that so kindly accepted these animals:
Humane Society of Broward County
SPCA Tampa Bay
March 28, 2008
The Animal Rescue Team is deploying to St. Bernard Parish in New Orleans, La. They will be helping to transfer dogs from closing shelter and transferring them to a shelter in a nearby state.
March 25, 2008
The team is delivering pet food to Caruthersville, Piedmont and Poplar Bluff, Mo. today and then heading home as waters start to recede.
March 24, 2008
Scotlund Haisley, senior director of emergency services at The HSUS penned a guest blog from the field today about the floods. Read it here.
March 22, 2008
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| The HSUS |
| The HSUS's team leads horses out of Missouri floodwaters March 21. |
POPLAR BLUFF, Mo.—The HSUS Animal Rescue Team responded to a call about horses stranded in flood waters. It was late afternoon so the team had to race to beat nightfall.
Once on the scene, the team realized that there were live power lines in the water and were delayed in their endeavors so that local authorities could cut-off power to the grid surrounding the stranded animals.
Once the area was secured, rescue efforts resumed. The horses appeared excited at the sight of the rescuers, and within minutes, the team led the scared and hungry horses through several feet of floodwater to safety.
"It's an odd feeling boating on what seems to be a pleasant day, but then you look around and you see a roof at eye level and street below where a community resided just days before," said Scotlund Haisley, senior director of Emergency Management for The HSUS.
While continuing to patrol, the team found cats stranded on a porch surrounded by two feet of water. They saw there were adult cats and newborn kittens, so young they still had their umbilical cords. The cats appeared not to have eaten in the days they were stranded by flooding. The cats were later reunited with grateful family members.
March 20, 2008
SOUTHWEST MISSOURI—The Humane Society of the United States has deployed its Animal Rescue Team to flooded Missouri at the request of the Missouri Humane Society to help animals in distress.
The HSUS has the only nationwide, full-time animal rescue team. The team responds to man-made disasters, natural disasters and handles other crisis requests for service.
The HSUS saved more than 16,000 animals in 2006-2007 and was instrumental in assisting with the passage of the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS) Act in Congress, which requires that animals are included in community disaster planning.
- Team expertise includes working with companion animals, horses and farm animals. Response services include assessment of animal-related needs; emergency search and rescue of animals (including humane trapping); establishment and management of temporary emergency animal shelters; evacuation support; veterinary evaluation of animals; relocation and support of disaster-affected animal facilities and volunteer management.
- The HSUS has a modern, well-equipped fleet of self-sufficient response vehicles. These include a command center with satellite communication, mobile animal shelters and climate-controlled transport trailers, veterinary equipment, boats, all-terrain vehicles and support vehicles.
