Many groups join together to help!
After rescuing Katrina animals, Catherine Salm, had her own private rescue to accomplish, "In 2006, 200 homes in my community flooded, including my own. I evacuated my six year old son, three dogs and twenty-eight parrots, alone, in waist deep water."
Catherine Salm has an MA in Special Education and teaches eighth grade special ed. She is also a trained Animal Disaster Response volunteer. Three of her colleagues are now in southern Peru, doing relief work to help the animals in the aftermath of the August 16 earthquake, and she is staying in close contact with them. This is an excerpt from her Blog:
What I know:By Catherine Salm The animal situation is bad and getting worse every day.
The Ministry of Health has requested international assistance for help with the animals.
Many animals were abandoned by their owners and left to fend for themselves. There are injured animals roaming the streets and trapped.
There is talk of killing ALL stray animals (including abandoned pets) roaming the streets in some towns. Poisoning has been mentioned, but people and children are eating the food left out for the animals, so shooting would be the way of culling.
These are three of the organizations in Peru working for the animals: ASPPA-Peru (The Peruvian Association for the Protection of Animals), Amazon CARES and HUAW HUAW. (am researching a fourth I heard about today).
ASPPA-Peru and Amazon CARES are working together. Amazon CARES is a registered nonprofit in the US. They have agreed to take donations and transfer those marked for ASPPA-Peru to them. They are trying to get in contact with HUAW HUAW.
Our Canadian brothers and sisters in the north stepped up, as always, and sent a team of 14 vets into the area. They will be there for three weeks.
Some small teams from US organizations (ARNO - Animal Rescue New Orleans) are down there, but the need is great and the resources and volunteers are few. (have heard rumors of small teams and assessment teams from other organizations but have not confirmed these)
What They are Doing: The vets and vet techs are doing spays/neuters on tables and desks in less than sanitary conditions with minimal equipment and supplies. They are vaccinating. They are treating injured animals. Treated animals get a red collar so workers know they have been treated, and if it comes to a killing time they might be spared.
Volunteers are doing food drops, working with local people who need animal help, attending meetings and trying to get other plans in place with city ministers to avoid mass kills of animals.
Note: The minister of Pisco is receptive to opening an animal shelter (modeled after Katrina shelters) if supplies and volunteers can be found.
What You Can Do :1. Raise awareness about the criticalness of this issue to SAVE animals
2. Sponsor volunteers
3. Volunteer
4. Donate
Update from Thea Martin, Animal Disaster Response Volunteer in Peru, August 31, 2007I am Thea Martin (volunteer) working with Gerald Pool and Marcia Maxwell - all three of us are from California and have hooked up with ASPPA. We have now responded to Ica, Chincha and now Pisco (Pisco three times). A team of vet techs and vets from Canada via Amazon CARES are here with us, and we are all together responding as a team. The vets take care of spay, neuter, vaccinations, and we three are feeding and watering animals.
The Department of Health (Ministries of Health) has had two meetings with us and are excited about a larger, longer response that we have indicated we would very much like to push for. They are very much in need of food, water, vet supplies, volunteer vets and caregivers in all three larger cities mentioned as well as some smaller towns. The Department of Heath is excited about the possibility that a large organized response would be a model for South America - especially the education part about pet care and the overpopulation issue.
These areas are very poor and we have been welcomed with open arms. The people here very much appreciate our efforts and we communicate with local volunteers translating for us. So far a very challenging, yet powerful experience.
Update by Gerald Pool, Animal Disaster Response Volunteer, August 31, 2007Marcia Maxwell, Thea Martin, and I, animal rescue volunteers from the Los Angeles area and members of various animal advocacy groups including Animal Rescue New Orleans, are in Ica, Peru aiding members from ASPPA and Amazon CARES. with rescue s/n/r and vaccination work.
Fourteen to sixteen hour days feeding, spraying for fleas and feeding emaciated strays, or those from families who cannot find food for themselves. Many animals were trapped on second floors and roofs and have to be brought down on makeshift ladders. Over 350 animals have been treated since our work began Sunday. Our work will continue until Saturday evening when we return to the US.
What you can doFor the names and contact information of several organizations whom you may wish to help, please go to
http://network.bestfriends.org/News/Admin/18351.htmlTop Photo: ASPPA / rescue workers preparing food for the animals
Second Photo: Catherine Salm / Thea Martin giving people food for their animals
To read all of Catherine Salm's Blog, please go to
http://helpmehelpanimals.blogspot.com/