Katrina Relief - Frequently Asked Questions

1. How will money that I sent to WHS to help animal victims of Hurricane Katrina be spent? All funds donated for animal relief are being used to directly benefit animals. $8,002 in financial donations collected by WHS for animals were sent to the SPCA of Houston, Texas because they provided the first refuge for animals evacuated from New Orleans. Many animals from Louisiana continue to be sent to that facility. Additional financial resources are being used to care for the animals that arrived with evacuees at State Fair Park in Milwaukee where WHS is maintaining a temporary shelter. Additional financial resources are being collected to send people and vehicles to help emergency shelters that are inundated with animals. Since all of the monies donated to Hurricane Katrina victims are being maintained in a separate fund, if additional resources remain, they will be sent to local shelters in the south that are providing care to evacuated animals.

2. Did WHS collect and send supplies to help animals? WHS collected approximately $50,000 in donated animal supplies. All of the supplies were carefully packed onto 20 large pallets; shrink wrapped and sent on Second Harvest of America’s semi-trailers for distribution to homeless people with pets. Additional donated supplies are being used for the animals housed at the WHS temporary shelter for the animals of people evacuated to Milwaukee.

3. Is the Wisconsin Humane Society planning a trip or relief effort team to be sent to the affected area? The Rescue Waggin vehicle, funded by PETsMART charities that WHS uses to shuttle animals from shelters that would otherwise have to euthanize them, was sent to Louisiana immediately to transport animals from hurricane ravaged areas to safe shelter. The vehicle will be returning to the area to help animals next week. Additional properly equipped vehicles are needed.

4. Is the Wisconsin Humane Society partnering with organizations that are currently on the ground helping with the relief effort? Yes, WHS is in communication with humane societies, rescue specialists and national humane organizations that have disaster teams who are assisting to set up and care for animals. Due to our leadership in S.A.W.A (Society of Animal Welfare Administrators) we have been receiving updated information about disaster initiatives. PETsMART Charities, Inc., Humane Strategies and the ASPCA have been assisting WHS in our efforts to help animals as well.

5. What can I do to help the efforts today? Make a donation to help the Wisconsin Humane Society rescue animals (don't forget to note Katrina Relief in the comments section). Link to any of the animal welfare organizations currently in the south at the Petfinder emergency resource page. If you have animals in your family, please make a plan about what you're going to do in case of an emergency. Consider adopting an animal now from WHS to enable us to have enough space to bring animals in from areas ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. Space is always limited at all humane organizations and now the need is even greater.

6. When will the animals begin to be shipped to Wisconsin? We are currently working with the ASPCA to send animals to Wisconsin within the next week. The priority and concern is to first rescue all of the pets left behind and then reunite the lost pets with their owners. We will offer as much assistance as possible in these efforts, while still maintaining adoptions and providing foster parents currently in our care needing new homes.

Animals are being held in Mississippi for 30 days (a hold period for lost and found animals right now mandated by their state veterinarians). In Louisiana the holding period is 15 days. However, many groups are releasing animals out of desperation for the sheer numbers. Wherever those animals go, they should be held to make sure that their guardians know they are safe and that they can be reunited with them, if possible.

7. Can I foster an evacuated animal? You may contact Rachel, WHS’ Volunteer Coordinator, if you are able to provide foster care. WHS also has animals in need of foster care; by fostering one of those animals, you will be making room for an animal from an evacuated area that should stay at WHS because of their veterinary needs.

8. What is currently happening with relief efforts? What are "they" doing with the animals that are being rescued? What types of injuries/ailments are the rescue teams seeing? We are receiving information from a variety of sources, including the groups that we referenced above. You can visit their websites for compilation reports. All of the organizations have diaries on their websites.

9. Which shelters were the most directly affected by the Hurricane; names and locations? Louisiana SPCA is just one of many - they successfully evacuated their shelter before the storm hit and are now coordinating all the rescue efforts in New Orleans and operating the staging center in Gonzales, LA. The SPCA of Houston, Texas has received large numbers of evacuated animals and there are temporary shelters being set up throughout the area. The Baton Rouge, LA shelter has also been inundated with animals. Groups and individuals with vehicles have been transporting them to places that have space. Veterinary clinics, at least one zoo and an aquarium were also impacted.

10. Is there a national humane effort to help the Hurricane Relief efforts?
Although there isn't one national humane society or organization, several organizations are doing their best to respond and cooperate as much as possible. Teams are in the field and emergency animal shelters have been established. A shared database to coordinate lost and found animal reports has been started at www.petfinder.com.

11. I've (my business, my co-workers etc.) collected food, supplies and medicine, are you accepting these, and if not, where can I bring them? Yes, WHS has been collecting items and sending them with individuals and through Second Harvest. Please contact us before bringing items to WHS because space is limited and any spaces that are available, we will want to use to house animals.

Please do not collect pet food or litter - many of the pet food manufacturers and pet product suppliers have supplied enough.

12. I want to volunteer for these efforts, where do I sign up, where do I go? Volunteers with animal handling and sheltering experience will be needed in the following weeks and months at the temporary animal shelters established in the Gulf Coast states; local animal organizations in communities with hurricane evacuees and their animals may need help. Contact the ASPCA for more information.

13. The Petfinder website contains some faulty search information or keeps going down - why? What should I do? Petfinder is working very hard and quickly to implement new technology to respond to this disaster. Keep trying. There could be a lot of people trying to access the site, too. We speculate that without much time to make the database public, they may not have had time to test it.

14. Is WHS coordinating local efforts and working with other local humane societies? All of the humane organizations in our area have been doing a great job of getting the word out on how to help animals and collecting animal supplies, etc. We will be working with our colleagues to find homes for animals from the Gulf Coast when they arrive. All of them have stepped up to help in whatever way possible. If your community has a humane organization, contact them.

The Ozaukee Humane Society is a division of the Wisconsin Humane Society and they will also be accepting animals for adoption from Louisiana. If you live in Ozaukee County, you may want to contact them to find out how to become a volunteer at OHS.

15. How many days can these animals go without food or water? It really depends on the species, health and other factors, but on average a typical dog or cat can go three days without water and seven-ten without food. Unfortunately, many animals are drinking contaminated water which will result in illness. Many of the animals are undergoing so much stress that the incidence of illness has been great.

16. Why were people forced to leave their animals behind? Unfortunately, emergency shelters have never allowed people to bring companion animals with them. However, the Red Cross and FEMA have been sensitive to the needs of people evacuating to Milwaukee and moved quickly to contact the Wisconsin Humane Society to provide emergency shelter so that people who had risked their lives to stay with their animals would not have to separate from them. People who arrived at the guest housing at the Wisconsin State Fair grounds are visiting with their animals frequently, walking them and conferring with Dr. Zeman, one of the WHS Veterinary Managers to make sure that they are healthy and comfortable during their stay.