Day Three (part one)
By Richard Crook, Best friends Rapid Response Manager 
Today was spent in meetings. We started by having coffee with the local group “Association for the Protection of Animals Tabasco.” This is a group of five very dedicated individuals with a shelter under six to eight feet of water. They had to remove the 45 or so animals originally in the shelter and foster them throughout their friendship circle. They were very upset and concerned for the animals out in the flooded zones without food and suitable water, so much so that one gentleman broke down at the table. He had most of the rest of us in tears.
We explained that we’ve been through this before, and the animals are very resilient, and, as long as they have access to water, they can survive for weeks. While that provided only a small amount of comfort, what really helped was buying them 1000 pounds of food to distribute. That put a smile on their faces and gave them hope. I anticipate working much closer with them in the very near future.
From there we meet with a representative from the office of the Minister of Health (Mvz. Said Jorge David del Rivero). Mr Rivero informed us that there are 60,000 companion animals in the affected areas, with 20,000 being strays and 10,000 feared dead, leaving the potential for up to 30,000 animals unaccounted for. According to Mr Rivero, The water is only receding at a rate of ten inches per day, meaning that it may take up to a month for the water to completely recede (providing they receive no additional rain).
After chatting numbers with Mr Rivero for a bit, I asked who we might we need to work with to receive official permission and support to help in the region. He gave us the name of a local vet (Mvz. Jorge Thomas Tellez), who Mr. Rivero says the Minister of Health has given “Carte Blanche” to, to do whatever he feels necessary to help the animals.
So we set up a meeting with Mr Tellez and off we went. We arrived to find Mr Dick Green (and crew) from IFAW working on an injured dog. After the dog had been cared for, we all went out for a quick lunch. Dick shared that their primary focus will be with the large animals. I shared that our focus would be with the companion animals. (Certainly seems like a cozy fit!)
Continued...
http://network.bestfriends.org/mexicofloodrescue/news/20457.htmlPhoto: Rich Crook