Around 10:00PM this evening, Dr. Gary Weitzman, CEO of the Washington Animal Rescue League (WARL), will bring 37 dogs and 4 cats back to their facility from the Tuscaloosa municipal animal shelter. These animals were among approximately 350 pets overwhelming the municipal animal shelter in Tuscaloosa, which typically holds no more than 50 animals at a time. Due to the destructive tornados which ravaged Tuscaloosa and the surrounding community, an influx of companion animals have found themselves homeless and without families.
“No sooner had our team gotten back from helping animal flood victims in Missouri, than we got a call to help with the even worse situation in Alabama,” explains Dr. Weitzman. “In this case, I would say that we arrived just in time for the animals we are bringing back. Many of them are very sick, and I don’t think they could have survived much longer without the kind of care we can give them at our Medical Center.”
Many of the abandoned or surrendered dogs and cats are sufferings from ailments which require immediate medical intervention for survival. Breaking protocol, many of the animals arriving from the Alabama shelter this evening were released by the Alabama State Veterinarian prior to the end of the normal stray hold period so they could travel with WARL for emergency treatment. Four members of the WARL staff remain in Tuscaloosa, managing two temporary animal shelters in tents and garages.
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