Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened.
~ Anatole France
(photos by Photos by smitme for Kinship Circle on Flickr; published with the written permission of Best Friends Animal Society)
For many animals in Iowa, it is a time of rough suffering. My heart breaks for them.
By the time a friend sped up the lane to Ron Lanz's farm Saturday evening—shouting that the Iowa River levee had blown—Lanz knew he faced a fateful decision: To save his own life, more than 800 of his hogs would have to die.
By instinct, Lanz shut the door on the semitrailer that was half-filled with hogs. He feared a wall of water might rush across his 450-acre farm any minute. Then Lanz jumped into the bed of his friend's pickup truck and rode for his life.
It's a decision Lanz is having a hard time living with.
"It's devastating to leave those hogs behind," said Lanz, 36. "I don't like to think about it."
Source ~ Chicago Tribune
The Cedar Valley Humane Society in Cedar Rapids, Iowa has been taking in large numbers of animals since the flooding began. The facility's normal capacity is 170 animals -- it is currently sheltering nearly 300. Additional arriving animals are being cared for at the "overflow" site, Kirkwood Community College, where hundreds more animals are being sheltered.
Source ~ Cedar Valley Humane Society
The Iowa City Animal Care and Adoption Center was flooded with four feet of water and is uninhabitable. The shelter has been forced to evacuate its facilities and relocate to the Johnson County Fairgrounds, where it is now sheltering hundreds of animals.
Source ~ Iowa City Animal Care and Adoption Center
Best Friends Animal Society is on the ground in Oakville, Iowa, which is submerged:
Located in Louisa County in southeastern Iowa, Oakville (population 450), is about 40 miles from the city of Davenport. Approximately 60 dogs and cats, pets left behind by fleeing residents, have been seen on rooftops and balconies. And 500 pigs, released by a beleaguered farmer, are scattered over 10 miles, with some stranded on top of a local levee.
(Yesterday morning,) Best Friends Rapid Response manager, Rich Crook, and his swiftwater-trained team were piloting a Hurricane Katrina-tested, 14-foot Jon boat through the town, looking for abandoned dogs and cats.
"It’s a familiar scene," says Crook, who along with dozens of Best Friends employees and volunteers spent months helping to save 6,000 dogs and cats in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Unfortunately, pets and farm animals are immediate victims of a natural disaster, and this situation is no different. Oakville residents, caught by the suddenness of rising waters, were forced to flee their homes, leaving frightened and forlorn pets behind.
(snip)
Surviving pigs from Lanz’s farm have managed to scramble to high ground and have been spotted along a 10-mile stretch. "Unfortunately, because the pigs are damaging the levee, local officials have given permission for locals to shoot the pigs to protect the levee," Crook says.
"So far more than 20 pigs have been killed," Crook says. "But fortunately, most of the people we’ve talked with, including the Iowa State Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, are willing to seek an alternative, in spite of the fact that the pigs pose a danger to the levee."
Crook’s team is working closely with the local sheriff, local authorities, and the state agriculture department to not only rescue companion animals, but devise an efficient way for families to reclaim their pets once floodwaters recede.
Source ~ Best Friends Animal Society
How YOU can help:
Donate to Best Friends Animal Society
Donate to the American Humane ~ you can read about the good they are doing here.
Click on any of the links in this diary to donate to the organizations mentioned.
Pledge for the animals at Racing Laps for Best Friends. Driver Andrew Prendeville is donating all proceeds from this weekend’s race in Newton, Iowa, to the rescue effort. You can pledge your support for as little as 25 cents per lap.
From the comments:
emmasnacker notes that the AKC is also raising money to help. Thank you, emmasnacker.
PoliSigh posts a link to Animal Rescue League of Iowa ~ another great organization. Thank you, PoliSigh.
Fairy Tale notes that the Humane Society of the United States is also helping out. I love the HSUS! Thank you, Fairy Tale.
joyful recommends United Animal Nations and TLC Canine Center/Animal Shelter in Newell, Iowa in her heartwarming comments. Thank you, joyful!
Locate an animal missing in the flood.
If you – or someone you know – is trying to track down animals missing during the flood, you can check to see if they’ve been taken into temporary care by calling Best Friends Animal Society’s Animal Help department, (435) 644-2001, ext. 4789, or by sending an e-mail to animalhelp@bestfriends.org
YOU can make the difference for animals like Rigby:
(Photo courtesy of Best Friends Animal Society, with permission.)
Rigby’s story.
Hear our humble prayer, O God,
for our friends the animals,
especially for animals who are suffering;
for animals that are overworked,
underfed and cruelly treated;
for all wistful creatures in captivity
that beat their wings against bars;
for any that are hunted or lost or deserted
or frightened or hungry;
for all that must be put death.
We entreat for them all Thy mercy and pity,
and for those who deal with them
we ask a heart of compassion
and gentle hands and kindly words.
Make us, ourselves, to be true friends to animals,
and so to share the blessings of the merciful.
~ Albert Schweitzer