PETA Rushes to Help Animals Affected by Disastrous Fire in the Philippines
After learning about a devastating fire in Orion, Bataan, PETA’s Animal Rescue Team rushed to the affected area armed with pet food and medications for burn treatment. Local residents told our team that many animals sustained severe burns and died shortly after the fire.
This is the aftermath of the fire in Orion:
PETA distributed food to animals with their families at the evacuation center.
What You Can Do
Have a plan to ensure animals’ safety in the event of a disaster. Whether the emergency is a flood, a fire, or an earthquake, evacuees should never assume that they’ll be able to return home soon, despite any assurances to the contrary. There’s no way of knowing what may happen to your home while you’re away, and you may not be able to return for days or even weeks. Companion animals who are left behind may become malnourished and dehydrated or escape in fear and become lost.
To keep animals safe during disasters, follow these simple steps:
- Make sure that your animals wear collars with ID tags and that you have a current photo of them for identification purposes.
- Keep a list of hotels that accept animal companions (and remember that others often lift “no pets” policies during emergencies). Also, include the phone number of your local animal-welfare society in your list of important contacts—it might be able to provide information during a disaster.
- Keep a carrier, a leash, extra food, and any other supplies that your animals might need packed and ready to go so that you can grab them easily if you have to evacuate in a hurry.
