In Wildfires, Animals Are the Often Ignored Victims

An unprecedented number of wildfires on the west coast threaten the lives not only of humans but of wild and domestic animals. These fires move at an alarming rate, consuming everything in their paths. Animals cannot outrun the flames and so are being burned alive or choked to death by smoke. They die confused, frightened, with no place to go. I wish I could save them all, and it breaks my heart that I cannot.

Lost homes can be rebuilt but lives lost are gone forever. By the time you finish reading this, dozens, perhaps hundreds more animals will have died in fear, pain, and misery. It’s a tragedy of epic proportions you won’t read about in the newspaper or see of TV.

During past fires, I have volunteered at Last Call animal shelters, helping to reunite lost cats and dogs with their owners. I helped wash animals brought in completely covered with ash. We flushed out their eyes with warm water and checked them for burns and other wounds. The animals were crying and shaking, so most of all we let them know they were safe and cared for.

I urge anyone who can make the time to volunteer at your local animal rescue. Even in times and places were there is no emergency, animals need you to help them find safe and loving adoptive homes.

We must all be stewards of the earth’s animals. Love them. Help them. Do not harm or kill them.

Peace to ALL the animals with whom we share this planet!

Preparing Your Pets for Natural Disasters

It’s hurricane season again in the Atlantic and Gulf states, and wildfire season out west. In many places, people will be evacuated, often with little or no advance notice. Now is the time to know you and your animal companions are prepared for natural disasters.

In a major disaster, local emergency workers may be stretched to the limit, and it can take days for additional help to arrive from outside your area. The bottom line is that you are the best—maybe even the only—chance your animal has for rescue. It’s really important that you have a plan.

Your plan should cover the different kinds of disasters likely to occur where you live. Do you have hurricanes, tornadoes, or floods? What about wildfires? Earthquakes? You’ll need a plan to evacuate if a fire or flood is headed your way.

Evacuating Your Home

Take your animals. If it’s not safe for you to stay, it isn’t safe for your animals either.

Have an animal disaster kit ready. Your kit should include carriers, leashes, a litter box, and bowls, as well as a three— to five-day supply of pet food, water, and litter. Don’t forget your animal companions’ medical records and medications. Include current photos of each animal, in case they get separated from you during the evacuation. A plastic storage bin is a great way to keep your kit portable and dry. Make sure you can get to your disaster kit quickly.

Prepare your animals early. It can be very hard to load a frightened cat into a carrier or to quickly find a dog who doesn’t always come when called. You may want to confine your animals in the house (or in their carriers) before the actual evacuation order comes. It’s also a good idea to practice evacuating the house with all your animals, in preparation for the day when a firefighter knocks on your door and says you have to be out in five minutes. Of course, your animals should be microchipped and wearing ID tags with your name and cell phone number.

Know where to go. Do you have friends or family nearby who can host you and your animals? Do you know which hotels take animals?  Consider including a list of hotels in your disaster kit.

Have an arrangement with a friend. What if you’re not home when your neighborhood is evacuated? A mutual aid agreement with a neighbor or friend will ensure that your animals get out in time.

Have rescue alert stickers in place. A sticker in windows on all four sides of your residence will alert fire or rescue workers to the fact that your animals may be trapped inside.

Sheltering at Home

Make sure you have plenty of supplies. Have a minimum of 10 days of food and supplies at home. It’s much less stressful for animals to stay in a familiar environment, but if you run out of supplies, you may have to evacuate with your animals to a shelter.

Have a battery-operated radio. If you are sheltering at home to avoid exposure to a toxic spill or a flu epidemic, you’ll need to know when the danger is over. Cell phones lose power and cell phone towers can be put out of commission. A radio (with lots of extra batteries!) will enable you to find out when the coast is clear.

Consider taking a dog and cat first-aid class. In an emergency, a veterinarian may not be immediately available. You might save your dog’s or cat’s life in a disaster by knowing how to stop bleeding or treat for shock. Even without a disaster, your knowledge of how to treat heat stroke or choking may save an animal’s life. To find an animal first-aid class, contact your local chapter of the American Red Cross, or check with your nearest animal shelter.

If you don’t already have an animal disaster kit, take a few minutes today to put a basic one together. Here’s some more information on disaster planning for your animals.

Be prepared, stay safe, and please take a moment to watch this video from an old friend of mine! 

Peace to ALL the animal with whom we share this planet.

Please Help Australia’s Wildlife

This is me at the age of three with a beloved koala doll. Today my heart is broken for all the koalas and other animals of Australia. That country is facing a crisis from the worst fires in their history. TV news programs tell us that millions of acres of land have been scorched, homes burned, and 19 people killed, but often left unmentioned is the fact that half a billion (that’s billion, with a B) animals have also been burned to death or choked to death by smoke. This is a tragedy on an almost unimaginable scale.

Koalas are uniquely at risk during bushfires. While kangaroos and Australia’s other native animals can move quickly and try to outrun the fast-moving fires, koalas move slowly. Because of this, they are dying by the thousands. According to Newsweek, experts estimate 8,000 koalas in New South Wales alone have died in the fires. Even koalas who manage to get away from the fires are being brought to relief stations and animal hospitals with life-threatening burns and other serious injuries.

In the time it takes you to read this, thousands more animals will die. Millions more – mammals, birds, and reptiles – are in imminent peril. You can help.

The Port Macquarie Koala Hospital desperately needs help. Donate here.

The World Wildlife Fund is accepting donations for help with emergency animal care. You can help them out here.

WIRES (Wildlife Rescue) is an organization that helps rescue and treat injured animals. An emergency fund has been set up to help. You can donate here.

Wildlife Rescue Sunshine Coast is another worthy organization. You can help them out here.

PETA Australia helps Australia’s animals in so many ways. Make a donation here.

Humans must be stewards of the Earth, including ALL the world’s animals, not just pf those companions at home or the wildlife in your own area. Please consider making a donation now to help save lives and treat the injured from the Australian wildfires.

Peace to ALL the animals with whom we share this planet.

 

 

 

In Times of Natural Disaster, Animals Need Help, Too

Once again, major wildfires in California are wreaking havoc on both wild and domestic animals. Some fires are moving at the rate of 50 miles per hour, consuming everything in their paths. Fleeing animals can’t outrun the flames and are being burned alive or suffocating from smoke inhalation. My heart breaks because they are confused, frightened, and have no place to go. More than anything in the world, I wish I could save them all.

During the wildfires last December, I volunteered at the Last Call animal shelters, trying to reunite lost cats and dogs with their owners. I also helped dozens of volunteers wash animals being brought in completely covered with ash. We flushed out their eyes with warm water since animals are incapable of doing that for themselves. The animals were crying and shaking; it was so very sad. We did what we could by giving them loving kindness and comfort.

I urge anyone who can make the time to volunteer at your local animal rescue. Even in non-emergency times and locations, animals need you to help them find safe and loving adoptive homes.

Lost homes can be rebuilt but lives lost are gone forever. As you read this, poor animals are dying by the thousands in fear, pain, and misery.

All of us must be stewards of the earth’s animals. They are so innocent and need us to love them, protect them, adopt them, and NOT to eat them.

Peace to ALL the animals with whom we share this planet!

A Thought for Earth Day and Every Day

Sunday, April 22 is Earth Day. I believe it is our duty to protect and preserve our planet. I have seen the ravages of climate change within my own lifetime. Every year there is an increase in the frequency and intensity of droughts and wildfires that take the lives of countless animals who have done nothing to create or exacerbate the conditions that are destroying their natural habitats.

Last year’s west coast wildfires wreaked havoc on both wild and domestic animals. Some fires moved at the rate of one acre per second, consuming everything in their paths. Fleeing animals can’t outrun the flames and were burned alive or suffocated from smoke inhalation. I was angered by news reports that showed horses locked in stables and other animals left behind in pens or tied to trees or fences, abandoned by their fleeing owners and left to die. How people can be so selfish and cruel is beyond my understanding. My heart breaks for animals in times of natural disaster because they are confused, frightened, and have no place to go. Humans who lose their homes can rebuild, but poor animals die by the thousands in fear, pain, and misery.

During the time of the wildfires I volunteered at an animal shelter, trying to reunite cats and dogs separated from their owners. I also helped dozens of volunteers wash animals brought in completely covered with ash. We flushed out their eyes with warm water as animals are incapable of doing that for themselves. The animals were crying and shaking; it was so very, very sad. We did what we could while giving them loving kindness and comfort.

I urge anyone who can make the time to volunteer at your local animal rescue. Even in non-emergency times, animals need you to help them find safe and loving adoptive homes.

Earth Day is not just about air and water and plants, it’s also about remembering that we must be stewards of the earth’s animals. They are so innocent and need us to love them, adopt them, and NOT to eat them.

Peace to ALL the animals with whom we share the planet!

 

In Times of Disaster, Animals Need Your Help More Than Ever

 

The fires in Southern California are wreaking havoc on both wild and domestic animals. Some fires are moving at the rate of one acre per second, consuming everything in their paths. Fleeing animals can’t outrun the flames and are being burned alive or suffocating from smoke inhalation. My heart breaks because they are confused, frightened, and have no place to go. More than anything in the world, I wish I could save them all.

The news today that 25 horses trapped in a barn perished, many burned alive, saddens and angers me. Someone could have given those horses a chance to live by simply opening the latch to let them run free. Why must some people think only of themselves? Such selfishness and lack of caring disgusts me.

I have been volunteering at the Last Call animal shelters, trying to reunite lost cats and dogs with their owners. I’m also helping dozens of volunteers wash animals being brought in completely covered with ash. We’re flushing out their eyes with warm water since animals are incapable of doing that for themselves. The animals are crying and shaking; it’s so very, very sad. We’re doing what we can by giving them loving kindness and comfort.

I urge anyone who can make the time to volunteer at your local animal rescue. Even in non-emergency times and locations, animals need you to help them find safe and loving adoptive homes.

Humans who have lost their homes can rebuild, but poor animals are dying by the thousands in fear, pain, and misery.

All of us must be stewards of the earth’s animals. They are so innocent and need us to love them, adopt them, and NOT to eat them.

Peace to ALL the animals with whom we share the planet!