Update December 1, 2005


Hurricane Relief Update December 1, 2005


IDA's Project Hope animal rescue team continues their lifesaving efforts in areas devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. They have recently turned their attention to animals in the Gulfport-Biloxi area, which has been largely forgotten and ignored. The situation there is much like that in New Orleans: packs of former companion animals now run wild in the streets, reproducing at an accelerated rate and evading human contact. IDA team members are on the ground setting up food and water stations and trapping surviving animals to move them out of the area before it is bulldozed. The animals in Gulfport-Biloxi are in terrible shape after fending for themselves on the abandoned streets for so long. Most animals are starving and/or sick and in desperate need of veterinary care, and many have heartworm or are pregnant. 

On a happy note, IDA contractor Eric Phelps and a Red Cross volunteer were able to catch a family of dogs in Gulfport this week and bring them to safety. Following reports that a mother dog and her six puppies had been spotted, they found the Labrador mix and her pups at the abandoned house where they were last spotted. While the mother dog seemed happy to see two friendly people, her pups tried to hide. Eric quickly grabbed one puppy, and later recovered three more who were coaxed out from under the crumbling home. The other two puppies resisted more stubbornly, backing into a corner under the house and going to sleep. Eric crawled underneath the house and finally caught these two resourceful holdouts. The entire brood will go to the Humane Society of Southern Mississippi (HSSM) in Gulfport.

- Project Hope desperately needs more shelters and rescue organizations outside of the disaster zone to take homeless animals rescued from the Gulf Area. Please contact hurricanekatrinainquiries@idausa.org if you or your local shelter can provide space for needy animals. 

-Volunteers are needed in Biloxi. People with their own vehicles such as vans that can transport animals to other facilities are especially needed. However, anyone can help with the feeding and trapping operation. Please contact hurricanekatrinainquiries@idausa.org if you area interested in volunteering.

- There is a truckload of food sitting in Englewood, Colo., but we need a truck to move it to Project Hope. If you or anyone you know drives an 18-wheeler and can transport these supplies to Mississippi, please contact hurricanekatrinainquiries@idausa.org. 

- We need funds to continue our relief work. As an illustration of the financial resources needed to rescue animals, rental of a vehicle and gas for one week costs upwards of $1000. Please contribute to IDA's hurricane relief fund when making your end of the year donations. To donate, send checks made payable to IDA with a note reading "for hurricane relief" to In Defense of Animals, 131 Camino Alto, Mill Valley, CA 94941. Click here and scroll down to donate online using your credit card.

- Read a recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle about post-Katrina animal rescue efforts.