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September 12, 2005, 12 p.m.: PETA Team Makes More Sad Discoveries in New Orleans
With temporary animal shelters in New Orleans filled to capacity and hundreds of rescued animals still "pouring in," the decision was made on Sunday to transport animals from their current holding facility to similar locations in the surrounding area in order to make room for the thousands of animals still awaiting rescue in the city.
With no place available to take rescued animals for the day, PETA's team set out early to find and arrange care for terrified animals still locked in the homes that they had been abandoned in nearly two weeks earlier. Listen to the day's work here. They set up many feeding stations for the feral and domestic cats running "everywhere" in the streets, according to team leader Laura Brown, and they provided confined animals with food, water, and some attention, while also opening windows in order to give the animals some ventilation.
The team found a starving cat hiding under a bed in her guardians' filthy, flooded home. Her dank living quarters were covered in mildew and, despite our team's best efforts, she could not be coaxed out from under her last remaining shred of security, the bed. Our team left her with ample food and fresh water and will return to rescue her tomorrow.
The team followed panicked barking for blocks before tracing it to a padlocked utility shed, the windows of which were covered by iron bars. After multiple swings of the crowbar and many kicks, the door finally splintered enough for our team to squeeze inside. Behind yet another barricaded door in the shed, they found two frightened dogs languishing amid a collection of old furniture and broken glass. Laura said that the scene was among the saddest that she had ever seen. The dogs ravenously ate the food our team gave them, finishing off five cans of dog food in less than a minute. Our team laid down blankets for the dogs, giving them a dry, clean place to rest, and opened the shed's windows before noting their address and conditions for a return visit later.
As the team chased a dog suffering from an injured leg for nearly 2 miles down the flooded streets, they encountered a couple whose neighbor had left her cat behind in her home 13 days ago. The couple gave the team a key to the house, and minutes later, Laura and Jessica Cochran found the terrified cat in the home. Maggots and mold dominated her otherwise empty food bowl, and she hadn't had water for days and had become dehydrated in the blistering heat. They provided her with food, water, and some scratches behind the ears before coordinating her rescue with the kind neighbors.
After another long day, Laura stated that it was "appalling to see that these animals were left behind in such conditions" when their guardians evacuated.
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PETA's House Government Reform Committee Testimony
Heroes of the Storm
Stars Urge Officials to Take Action to Protect Animals in Disasters in PETA Ad
Read the Latest News From the Gulf Coast
Listen to PETA's Reports From New Orleans
Watch Footage of PETA's Life-Saving Work
See Pictures of PETA's Rescue Work
