As early as Wednesday, Aug. 31, evacuees at the New Orleans Superdome were told that their pets would not be allowed aboard rescue buses nor welcome at evacuation centers. Dozens of cats, dogs and other pets were left behind to wander the streets.
As rescue operations advanced into the heart of the flooded city, trapped owners desperate for a way out were given a grim choice: leave their pets alive to possibly starve or kill them on the spot. Guns carried by rescue workers came in handy for those opting to put their pets out of their misery, said various news reports.
Many pet owners, however, refused to abandon their loved ones, even if it meant foregoing rescue.
Animal welfare groups — including the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), the Humane Society of the United States, the Louisiana SPCA and the Texas SPCA — were given access to New Orleans on Sunday, Aug. 4.
Since then, they have been working with federal and law enforcement agencies to help rescue stranded animals from abandoned houses, pick them up off the streets and collect them from evacuees leaving the beleaguered city of New Orleans, said reports.
Of primary concern this week were pets locked inside homes, where food and water supplies were likely to have been depleted for some time.
Most animal rescues are being conducted by boat. Using information phoned in by frantic owners, teams in inflatable rafts are traveling the city looking for homes where pets have been left behind, said reports.
Once rescued, the animals — many of which are in immediate need of food, water and even medical treatment — are taken to a drop-off point, and from there on to one of the many shelters set up in the region.
At a typical shelter, the new arrivals are checked for ID tags, photographed and given a health evaluation. The sick and injured are promptly given fluids and medical treatment; the healthy go straight for the food dish.
Once processed, efforts are then made to try to reunite pets with their owners, a daunting task that is being overseen by the Louisiana State Veterinary Association, said reports. Unclaimed pets will be put up for adoption.
