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A promise to our pets, "They will never be left behind again"
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The National Katrina Animal Memorial
features a bronze cat and dog, a tribute to
pets left behind after the storm
No one can ever forget the tragic images of dogs and cats trying to keep their heads above water -- left behind after the mass evacuation of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina.
"They will never be left behind again," is now a written promise on the new National Katrina Animal Memorial, the first-ever memorial for the animal victims of the storm. The memorial will be dedicated by the Humane Society of Louisiana and a host of animal welfare groups in New Orleans on August 29, the third anniversary of the hurricane.
"We felt it was important to honor all the pets that suffered as well as all the volunteers who came and went without any recognition," says Jeff Dorson, Executive Director for the Humane Society of Louisiana.
Three years ago, the Humane Society of Louisiana, once located just 15 minutes from the Superdome, evacuated New Orleans with 157 pets, including dogs, cats, gerbils, rabbits, and mice, just hours before Katrina made landfall. The shelter never went home. They still operate out of Tylertown, Mississippi, two hours from New Orleans, caring for as many as 120 animals left behind in that storm.
Thankfully, the tragedy of animals left behind in a disaster "has gained more focus since Katrina and that is an important thing to have happened in the American consciousness,” says Debrah Schnackenberg, American Humane’s Senior Director for Animal Emergency Services. “This memorial recognizes this evolution and that we need to always include pets in the disaster planning process."
Ironically, as the memorial is officially unveiled on the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the Louisiana SPCA is evacuating animals at their new shelter due to the current tracking models for Hurricane Gustav. More than 250 pets will be relocated to "Baton Rouge, Dallas, and possibly Houston, depending on where the storm tracks," says Anna Zorrilla, director of the Louisiana SPCA. “Once the evacuation of the shelter goes into effect, the shelter will not reverse its evacuation process.”
That's just incredible. Honestly, how do these folks do it?
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