We just heard from our professional animal rescue contacts on the ground in Texas. They are rescuing animals left stranded by Hurricane Rita. The following is an overview of what they told us.

First, people don’t seem to realize that the animal situation in Texas is dire. While the aftermath of Hurricane Rita is not as severe as Katrina, there is still a very bad situation for animals. People in this part of Texas were required to evacuate, and like with Katrina, many people didn’t realize that they would be gone for more then a few days. Rita touched down 10 days ago and people are just being let back into affected areas today. That means animals left behind at home have been without food and water for over a week and a half.

What caused such a mess right after Katrina? Our sources say the main problems are;

• Irresponsible pet owners. People abandoned their pets and did not leave enough food and water for their animals survival.
• Lack of a Pre-Hurricane National Public Service Announcement. There was no pre-hurricane information campaign that told people what to do with their pet when told/required to evacuate. Their needs to be a national public service announcement informing people exactly what to do and where to go if they have to leave a pet.
• Collaboration. There needs to be a collaborative effort between the Red Cross and the Salvation Army and the HSUS to devise a plan that combines both people and animal rescue. The stresses of evacuating your home during times of natural disaster can be emotionally and physically overwhelming. Having to abandon a pet because one is not allowed to bring their animal to a Red Cross or Salvation Army evacuation shelter only exacerbates the trauma and distress that one is already going through. When one looses everything and has the added stress of having to go through the tumultuous process of trying to find their pet post disaster, can be just as damaging.
• Lack of Media Coverage. Few people know what is happening in Texas in regards to animal welfare. It is said that there isn’t as much coverage because the structural damage and loss of life was “not as bad” as when Katrina struck. Perhaps compassion fatigue is also to blame.
• Animal Overpopulation. There is a large overpopulation problem in this area due to the low rates of spay and neuter. It is likely that the homeless animal population will now be worse then ever and most likely “unmanageable”. The problem now is that there are thousands of homeless animals, both pre-hurricane strays and pre-owned pets, running around therefore the rate of animal reproduction will merely increase at an unprecedented speed.