Storms and Devastation
Four consecutive typhoons recently hit the Philippines. The storms led to the devastation of houses and other properties. Heavy rainfall brought floods in several towns.
The most recent of the four was Typhoon Ulysses, which badly affected San Mateo in Rizal, Philippines. On the dawn of November 12, 2020, the height of the storm, four animal welfare officers worked feverishly to save the dogs at the San Mateo Municipal Dog Pound. During that time, the conditions were at their worst, but they knew in their hearts that the dogs needed them.
Up to the Roof!
According to Amanda Ramirez, one of the animal welfare officers, the flood water reached up to their chests. The situation became precarious, but they knew that the dogs would live only if they were able to rescue them. Together with the other volunteers, they brought all 65 dogs to the impounding center’s roofs to save them from the flood. After saving every dog, the volunteers also climbed to the top and stayed with the dogs, waiting until the flood level became safe.
San Mateo Municipal Dog is the only dog pound in the Philippines with a No Kill Policy. Like other no-kill shelters, euthanasia is not an option, except to end severe suffering. All of the dogs in their shelter are cared for to the best of their ability. The dog pound’s limited resources, however, were all destroyed by the typhoon.
Happily, several animal welfare organizations stepped in to assist, and among them was the Animal Kingdom Foundation (AKF). The volunteers of AKF helped clean the entire dog pound from all the mud and debris that came from the flood. They also brought food, vitamins, food and water containers, and fixed the parts of the facility that the typhoon had destroyed.
Volunteer veterinarians also came to check on the dogs. After checking them over carefully , they confirmed that all 65 of them were in good health. Such an excellent ending to a severe crisis!
Photo credits to Animal Kingdom Foundation via Facebook.
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Marineth
HSI is the major international animal welfare organization supporting efforts by Chinese activists to fight the country s dog meat trade. Last year, we helped fund five more highway rescue operations saving the lives of more than 2,000 dogs and we re encouraging our local partners to put pressure on authorities to shut down this horrific industry completely. Donate now to help .