Hurricane Delta, one of the hurricanes to wreak havoc in the United States, chased the people of Mexico out of house and home. Everyone was on high alert, desperate to save whoever and whatever they could. Among those who had to face the wrath of the hurricane was Ricardo Pimentel, the founder of Tierra de Animales.
Pimentel knew there was no way the animal sanctuary would survive the hurricane. Aside from this, he also knew that there was no way he could fit all the animals inside the shelter, especially since it wasn’t hurricane-proof. Determined to keep all animals alive, he looked for ways to protect them and keep them safe.
Home for the rescue animals
Given the urgency of the situation, Pimentel decided to take 300 dogs and other animals into his home. His humble abode suddenly became an evacuation center for animals, but he didn’t mind. What mattered more to him was their safety. He was also fortunate enough to have stored enough food supply for the animals, so none of them went hungry.
The dogs were on their best behavior despite all the scary sounds generated by Hurricane Delta. All of them had already been dewormed, vaccinated, neutered, and spayed, so Pimentel didn’t really have to worry that much about their health. In fact, if the hurricane didn’t happen, they would have already been adopted.
A lifetime of service
It has already been nine years since Pimentel put up Tierra de Animales. Aside from dogs, the shelter also takes care of donkeys, horses, pigs, goats, sheep, iguanas, cows, turtles, cats, and other animals. The shelter survives because of the help and monetary donations they receive from people from different parts of the world.
Pimentel and his team will be using a portion of the donations to rehabilitate Tierra de Animales since Hurricane Delta destroyed it. They also plan on building hurricane-proof shelters in the future.
Credits to Chino y Ricardo Pimentel
Another wonderful dog story: The Astonishing Overnight Transformation of Alex, A Vicious, Chained Dog No One Could Approach
