Hurricane Ian displaced scores of pets in Florida: Where are they now?
Hurricane Ian‘s onslaught put many Floridians — including their beloved pets — in helpless and even tragic situations.
While some cats and dogs were swept out of their homes during the major storm that hit southwest Florida on Sept. 28, all kinds of furry friends had to be left behind when their owners were forced to evacuate.
Several organizations leaped into action once Ian touched down, in the hope of delivering as many lost or stranded animals to safety as possible.
Greater Good Charities, a Washington-based nonprofit that specializes in humanitarian and animal welfare, launched a rescue mission on Oct. 2 that airlifted 90 pets out of the state of Florida in order to free up space in animal shelters.
The pets were transferred to receiving rescue centers up north, including to New Jersey’s St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center and Liberty Humane Society; the Pennsylvania SPCA; and Lucky Dog Animal Rescue of Arlington, Virginia.
Greater Good Charities COO Noah Horton told Fox News Digital that this program ensured that Florida’s shelter resources were not overwhelmed as displaced pets were brought in.
With support from partnerships, Horton reported that the flight was “really successful” and all transported pets arrived “happy and healthy.”
Rescue dogs are transported from Florida amid Hurricane Ian to Morristown, New Jersey, on Oct. 2, 2022.
(St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center)
“There were 36 dogs and 54 cats on this particular flight,” he said. “Those pets have all been placed in receiving groups.”
Horton shared that it’s “pretty common” for animals, whether they’re free-roaming animals or lost pets, to be displaced amid natural disasters — which leads to the greater task of reconnecting owners with their beloved and lost pals.
“And that’s a critical service that the shelter provides in that community,” he said.
“Without clearing those pets out, you end up in a situation where a shelter might be overwhelmed or stretched for resources.”
“So, it’s not only just about the pets who are on the flight who are now getting placed for adoption — but you’re also clearing space for incoming pets here.”
Greater Good pulled pets from shelters in some of the most impacted areas of Florida such as Naples and Fort Myers.
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Horton said he anticipates more rescue flights in the future as Greater Good continues to provide aid to the sunshine state.
A volunteer holds a shelter puppy who was transported from Florida to Morristown, New Jersey, on Oct. 2, 2022.
(St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center)
Animal welfare nonprofit American Humane went forward with its own boots-on-the-ground rescue mission to ensure the safety of the animals left behind in the storm.
The organization deployed a response team to DeSoto County on Sept. 30 and began a search and rescue mission on the water, American Humane president and CEO Dr. Robin Ganzert told Fox News Digital.
“We started immediately with boats in the water as of Friday afternoon, looking for animals that might be stranded in the floods,” she said.
A American Humane search crew heads out to search for animals in danger after Hurricane Ian hit Florida on Oct. 4, 2022.
(American Humane)
“We were also given a number of calls to go and check on people’s homes who were able to evacuate but had to leave animals behind.”
The American Humane team also found a variety of farm animals that were left behind, including horses, cows, goats and chickens.
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Ganzert mentioned that a pair of horses were found in high floodwaters that had risen as far up as their chests.
“We fed them, and we made sure they were safe,” she said.
“We walked them around their little paddock area in the floodwaters … Every single day, we went back and fed those horses.”
“And I’m so proud that, today, those horses are now on dry land and under our veterinarians’ care, and they’re doing very, very well.”
Ganzert and her team also located and fed three goats that had climbed to the top of a children’s play set to escape the floodwaters for several days.
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“This innate ability to survive — these animals are amazing,” she said.
“It’s amazing where you’ll see an animal when you have those kinds of floods.”
“We’ve even seen cattle — big steer — and have led those cows to dry land.”
As America’s first animal rescue organization, Ganzert explained that American Humane will “be there for as long as it takes” to satisfy the “ongoing care mission” after Hurricane Ian.
American Humane plans to launch an emergency sheltering operation for pets that have been displaced which, according to Ganzert, will also provide medical and general care.
“Our goal is always to reunite that beloved four-legged family member with its human family,” she said.
Ganzert’s team has so far rescued multiple dogs and a litter of kittens in the hope of reuniting them with their owners or finding them new homes.
An American Humane volunteer holds a kitten that was rescued in Florida in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian on Oct. 4, 2022.
(American Humane)
“And once the community is able to get back to some sense of normalcy, we’re going to bring in emergency food, veterinary clinics, spay-neuter clinics, vaccines, everything that we can to make sure that those families have the resources to keep those animals with them in their forever loving home,” she said.
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“Because now more than ever is the power of that human-animal bond needed,” she added.
“That relationship is what keeps us whole, keeps us safe, mentally, emotionally, spiritually — and we need that bond to stay secure when all else has been broken.”
