A large number of shelter animals from Florida arrive in Washington in search of new homes.
Local shelters taking in animals from Florida following Hurricane Ian
Seattle, Washington In order to cope with space shortages following Hurricane Ian, more than 150 shelter animals from Florida have arrived to shelters in western Washington.
In collaboration with the Humane Society of the United States, the Greater Good Charities program Good Flights organized an urgent airlift of shelter animals from Florida animal shelters to new adoptive homes in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.
On Sunday afternoon, about 181 dogs, cats, and guinea pigs arrived at Paine Field in Everett. According to Christopher Ross, the CEO of Seattle Humane, 68 of the 181 animals were taken to the shelter.
Animals from Florida are being taken up by local shelters after Hurricane Ian
Ross stated they mainly rely on their volunteers to clear space for these creatures. We rely heavily on our foster family to help us stretch so that we have a lot more capacity for animals that can be placed in our foster volunteer homes.
Volunteer shortages plagued several shelters throughout the pandemic. According to a few of the volunteers at Seattle Humane, they can now successfully handle large animal intakes like this one from Florida.
As a volunteer, Michele Trimble stated, It's been really ramping up. It's just very amazing to see all the volunteers coming back and seeing all the animals coming back. I especially enjoy to watch how rapidly they go.
According to Ross, the purpose of moving these shelter pets is to provide Florida's animal shelters more room to accommodate animals that have been displaced by Hurricane Ian.
With any natural disaster, there are animals that naturally become displaced, people who must flee their homes, and the animals are missing. As a result, when those people return and begin looking for their missing pets, we need to ensure that those animals are kept locally in the community so that they can be reunited with them when they visit the local shelter.
Ross continues by saying that they are constantly searching for volunteers, especially for when natural calamities strike. Before being offered for adoption, the animals are inspected and put through behavioral and health evaluations.
Details: Here
