Kesrael (Tammy) Vacchon writes,
>What reason would you ever have to leave pets, especially ones that
>you 'love', behind?? None. There is never any reason to leave them. If
>you have children, would you leave them? I think not!
>You mention a scenario of someone leaving behind 'obviously loved'
>herps. IF that were to ever happen, I think it would be safe to say
>that they must not have been loved that much. If you love someone or
>something, you do not just leave it behind.
>Besides, after Katrina, didn't they pass something making it illegal
>to leave your pets behind?
No, they didn't. The laws that were passed after Katrina require local,
state and the federal governments to include provisions for evactuating
pets in their disaster plans. But nobody has made it illegal to leave
pets behind. And most laws require the owner to provide crates for
their pets in order for them to be evacuated.
I used to feel the same way you do - how in the world could any person
claiming to love their pet choose to leave them behind in a disaster?
For one thing, it's common for the authorities to promise you'll be
back home in a day or two, three at the most. Sometimes the reality is
much more heartbreaking, as with Katrina. A lot of people brought their
pets to evacuation centers and were forced, sometimes at gunpoint, to
leave them at the curb. Some pets were shot right in front of their
owners when people refused to get in the boat or on the chopper without
their animals. Other people had a nanosecond to make a critical choice,
and still suffer from anguish and guilt. I met one man in Louisiana who
cried, recalling how floodwaters swept his son-in-law off the rooftop
in one direction, his cat in the other, and he had a split second to
decide which one to grab. A lot of people would be amazed that he
cried. A cat versus a human. But, that's how much he loved his cat.
There were several cases in Louisiana, too, where people were told to
bring their pets to a local school where they'd be cared for and
evacuated if necessary. Deputies subsequently shot dozens of these
animals to death and left their corpses to be discovered by animal
rescuers. These stories have been featured on CNN, ABC News and major
newspapers.
Also, most people are completely unprepared. When they are given just
minutes to evacuate (as sometimes happens with a tornado, a fire or
chemical spill), a lot of people think it's best to put extra food &
water for their pets at home and rush out the door with a change of
clothes, their wallet and a few imporrtant papers. They're worried
about gathering up their kids and getting them out safely. Pets, sorry
to say, often place farther down the list.
If you don't have a disaster kit for each of your ferrets with a week's
worth of food, fresh water, litter and medicine, now is a great time to
prepare one! Include copies of their vaccination and medical records,
emergency contact information and your veterinary contact info in a
waterproof container. Also, pictures of you with them, as proof of
ownership should you ever become separated.
Please see these and more tips at www.ferretemergency.org
Susann Thiel
The Ferret Emergency Response, Rescue and Evacuation Team (F.E.R.R.E.T.)
[Posted in FML 5705]
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