Earlier tonight I saw a show on PBS detailing the rescue operations of animals left behind in the wake of Hurrican Katrina. Many people were specifically told to leave their pets behind as they wanted to focus on getting as many people out of the city as quickly as possible.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, a small band of dedicated professionals and volunteers formed together in order to rescue those loved ones left behind. Thousand and thousands of pets were stranded on rooftops and in deserted homes left to fend for themselves. We all saw the devasting pictures of the city when it happened last year. It's hard to imagine how those cats & dogs could have survived without food or safe water to drink - not just for a few days but in some cases upto 2 weeks until help could arrive.

The one thing that struck me the most was how dedicated some of those men & women were in trying to as much as possible for the stranded pets (including some penguins at the Audubon Aquarium). Some even risked their their own health by going into the toxic areas where the pets were stranded.

They estimate that approx. 250,000 pets were left behind in the city. Despite the hurculean effort, only 15,000 was rescued - not from lack of effort - but they just didn't have enough room to accommodate all the pets being rescued.

I grew up with pets when I was a kid and I'm a big dog lover. There's not a dog in my neighborhood I haven't stopped to pet. I don't know when it will air again - if ever. If you can catch it in your local area, I highly recommend it.

Some highlights from the show:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/katrina/

hey, chewy,

my niece's best friend was one of the people who went down for the animals. i haven't got to talk to her about it yet, but i highly admire her for it. she has volunteered for the animal rescue league all her life, in different cities.

her husband nominated her for a Toyota Woman of the Year type contest that Glamour (ahem) magazine is sponsoring. (funny, cause she is definitely not a glamour mag type! but i bet most of the nominees aren't.) I hope she gets it. rah rah Missy!

I saw that show - SO sad.....I know some people who went down to assist with rescued avians. Parrots are so specialized that a lot of helpers don't know the best way to treat/feed/handle them. I wish so much that I could have been there to help.


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Wow, how cool is that Sophie - kudos to her - I think that's commendable.

Roberta how many birds do you own and what kind of bird is that in your avvy?