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We have to remind ourselves that this is not like the fires, floods, hurricanes, and earthquakes that EARS has responded to in the past. In addition to this being a human created disaster it is also a crime scene. Great efforts are being made to secure evidence to ensure that those responsible for this terriorist act are brought to justice. This is one of the reasons, access to the area is being restricted.
In addition, human safety is a major concern. There are still buildings near the World Trade Center that are at risk of collapsing. With the number of fire fighters and police officers already killed in the act of responding, extraordinary safeguards are in place to prevent any further loss of lives. Unskilled people will not be allowed into the area.
We do know that people have been escorted by the police to their homes and animals have been retrieved. I wish I could give you the specific numbers, but there is no organized way at this time to gather this information. Unfortunately, in a disaster there is a lot going on, with a lot of different people and organizations involved, so it's unlikely we will realize anytime soon the full impact of this disaster on the animals.
HOSTGARY
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 Disasters of any kind are often the occasion of confusion and chaos, compounded by rumors and miscommunication, and the WTC disaster in New York, as far as animal rescue goes, is no exception. Please don't misunderstand; the organizations involved have performed wonders in quickly responding to the needs of abandoned and lost pets. The problem is that there are so many advocacy groups wanting to be involved, there is no clear delineation of authority, and if there is, the general public is often unaware of it.
Shortly after posting the original article last Friday, I became aware of a mail list called Animal Talk, and the administrator, Dick Weavil, has done an outstanding job of trying to sort out fact from rumor, as well as keeping on top of latest developments. Some of the updates listed below are directly from that newsletter, and I highly recommend subscribing, for anyone who wants to stay on top of events in New York. To be added to this
mailing list, email nyppsi@aol.com with subject: MAILING LIST and body text: SUBSCRIBE.
Unconfirmed or Refuted Rumors:
- Rumor: Wholesale Abandonment at CACC: There is an exodus of people leaving New York, and cars are lined up, double-parked, dropping off their unwanted pets at the CACC Shelter.
The ASPCAs response to this rumor is as follows:
Center For Animal Care & Control (CACC)
Status/9-19-01
The word from our headquarters in New York has confirmed that New Yorkers ARE
NOT abandoning animals at the New York's Center for Animal Care and Control.
This comes directly from their Executive Director. Cars are doubled parked
around the shelters, but those cars belong to volunteers helping during the
crisis.
David R. Flagler,
ASPCA PetWhere Director,
ASPCA National Shelter
Outreach,
1717 S Philo Rd, Suite 36,
Urbana, IL 61802;
(217) 337-5030 x 421,
(217) 337-0599 FAX;
Email: PetWhere@aspca.org
http://www.aspca.org/PetWhere
- Rumor: The CACC is turning away would-be adopters and/or volunteers.
The CACC's computers have been "down" for a day or more, which may be the reason adoptions (also killings) are delayed. However, advice is to:
Please have them call the shelter first
(212) 722-3620 to be sure they are doing adoptions today (computers were down
and they were hand doing paperwork yesterday). They will need to bring photo
ID, 2 personal references, and proof of income (pay stub). There are also
CACC shelters located in Brooklyn and Staten Island. It might be a little
crazy now, as many people are responding to the call for help and adoptions.
If too crazy, request people to either wait a little or adopt from other area
shelters such as ASPCA, Bide-a-wee or Humane Society. They all take animals
from CACC when they have space.
I am unable to confirm or deny whether CACC is turning away volunteers at this time. It is important also to remember that the CACC is in even "normal" times a "kill shelter" and even ordinary days are urgent ones for the dogs and cats waiting there in hopes of adoption as the clock counts down on their lives. If you live anywhere in the N.Y. area and would like to open your heart and your home to a new pet, one of the CACC shelters would be a great place to start.
- Rumor: Search Dogs need/don't need booties
This one has been on again - off again, the past several days. Latest information is that a Canadian company, called Muttluks has donated several hundred sets of dog boots to the WTC SAR (Search and Rescue) dogs. In addition, the Suffolk County SPCA is working directly with the NYPD Canine Unit:
The SCSPCA continues to provide the on site coordination of veterinary
services at the inner perimeter of the World Trade Center at the request of
the federal government and the NYC OEM. As the lead animal support agency
the SCSPCA has established a MASH unit to treat the dogs involved in the
rescue project. Because the SCSPCA is located two blocks from ground zero we
are able to provide a rapid turn around for dogs that need veterinary
services. A rapid turn around means the dogs can spend more time on the pile
locating and rescuing survivors.
The SCSPCA mobile medical unit is one of three units in the US. At the
request of the NYC Police Canine unit the SCSPCA responded and arrived on
site at 6 PM on Tuesday. The unit has been operational 24 hours per days
staffed with federal, NYC and Long Island veterinarians and Vet techs.
More Updates:
AnimalAid
In response to the horrible tragedy which struck the United States on
September 11, 2001, United Animal Nations has established AnimalAid, a
relief program to assist the companion animals of the terrorist victims.
Animals who have been orphaned or otherwise directly affected by the
terrorist attacks can receive aid under the guidelines of the program.
Assistance Available:
Foster care and adoption
Transportation
Financial assistance for veterinary care, boarding, medication, food and
other needs
Assistance through the AnimalAid program will be available for six
months
following the September 11 attacks (through March 11, 2002). Financial
assistance will be available until March 11 or until program funds are
depleted.
Call 800-440-3277 to apply for assistance under AnimalAid!
United Animal Nations, a not-for-profit animal advocacy and rescue group
P.O. Box 188890, Sacramento, CA 95818
Email: info@uan.org Website: www.uan.org
Petfinder.com
In response to the in pouring of email regarding inquiries and resources to
help the pets of the victims of the recent tragedy, Petfinder.com has created
a
special resource page on our website to help facilitate communication between
individuals and the animal groups offering assistance to ownerless pets. Many
of our shelter and rescue members are located in the areas where these victims
lived who very well may have pets in need. Rescue operations have begun;
more
volunteers and supplies will be needed.
We have also created special pages for individuals needing help rehoming these
animals by posting them for adoption within our system.
NY area: www.nyrescues.petfinder.com and DC area:
www.dcrescues.petfinder.com.
Petfinder.com is a free service where humane organizations showcase
photographs
and descriptions of pets to hundreds of thousands of potential adopters
visiting the site each month. If you have information or a resource to be
posted regarding pet welfare in this emergency, please email us at
pets@petfinder.com.
More on Suffolk County SPCA
The SSCSPCA in Smithtown, New York has extended its
emergency veterinary services to pets that have been left behind during the
evacuation. Because of increased availability of personnel and a flood of
contributions, the group says it now has additional resources to assist
residents in entering their apartments to retrieve their
pets. Residents may contact the Suffolk County SPCA at 631-382-SPCA.
Because the SCSPCA is the only humane agency located near ground zero the
SCSPCA is able to provide immediate support for dogs and cats that need
veterinary services. The SCSPCA mobile medical unit is one of just three such
units in the nation.
The SCSPCA has over 20 volunteers working at the site and another 10 with
office staff back up.
I'll update the rescue data as more information comes in, but for a day-to-day update, I highly recommend the Pet Talk news list.
Next page > Updated Info 9/20/01 > Page 1, 2
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