Government teams rescued 3,200 animals as of Saturday night, while volunteers report having saved another 350
Public authorities and volunteer teams rescued at least 3,500 animals stranded by the rains in Rio Grande do Sul (RS). However, the number must be much higher, as several groups of volunteers have been formed to rescue dogs and cats that were left behind due to the floods affecting the State.
The Public Power teams rescued 3,200 animals by Saturday night (May 4, 2024), while the volunteers with whom the Brazil Agency spoke claim to have managed to save at least 350 animals alive.
The owner of a pet shop and an animal daycare in Esteio (RS), Carla Ebert, said that she received, on Saturday alone (May 4), 50 animals left behind in the floods. She reports that ordinary people are rescuing the stranded animals and taking them to a shelter provided by the city hall.
“It’s very animal. It’s an absurd thing. We will see when the water recedes, we are not even prepared for that, due to those who died. Is very sad”said Carla. “We organized ourselves as best we could and people took the animals”he completed.
The NGO (non-governmental organization) Grad Brazil (Disaster Animal Response Group) reported that, in just one day, they relocated around 100 animals in the municipalities of Esteio and São Sebastiao do Caí, in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre.
“There are a lot of animals, people, on the tip of the roof, there are a lot of animals trapped in the window, there are a lot of animals that are swimming tirelessly, there are many, many, I can’t put a number on how many animals they are”Carla Sássi, coordinator of Grad, said on a social network.
The NGO coordinator added that the organization needs a boat with a motor to expand rescue efforts, as the current is strong.
“Demands for rescues keep coming, but many areas remain inaccessible. We need to increase our team in the field and we are requesting support from motor vessels to save as many animals as possible”stated, in a note, Grad Brasil.
Another organization that has worked to rescue and care for stranded dogs and cats is Good Field for Dogs, which is located in the municipality of Campo Bom (RS), in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre. According to the NGO, they rescued 80 animals in a single day, reaching a total of 200 animals removed from the water by volunteers.
The number of animals rescued was so large that they no longer have space to receive new animals and are asking for help from other people on social media so that they can temporarily shelter animals lost due to flooding.
“Novo Hamburgo (RS) is sending a lot of dogs here. We can no longer accept animals here. There are people arriving here being rude to us, fighting with us, wanting to bring animals from all neighborhoods at any cost.“, Kayanne Braga, a volunteer with the organization, reported on social media.
With information from Brazil Agency.
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