Earthquake in Haiti: The Animals

As humanitarian aid arrives in Haiti, animal welfare groups are ready to do their part

Few words can fully express the grief, the shock, the sadness caused by the earthquake in Haiti.

And when humans experience the terrible effects of natural catastrophes such as this, so do animals.

As various national governments and humanitarian groups mobilize aid to help the people of Haiti, several animal welfare organizations are working to help the animals affected by the disaster.

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association (HSVMA), Humane Society International (HSI), the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and the World Society for the Protection of Animals are among the groups responding.

"Fortunately, one of our veterinary teams had been conducting a program at a veterinary school in the neighboring Dominican Republic when the quake struck," writes HSUS president Wayne Pacelle on his blog. "We are looking to determine if they can get into Haiti to conduct an on-the-ground assessment.

The WSPA Web site states, "Our Disaster Liaison Officer from Panama, Jorge Alcidez Gonzalez who also works as the Head of the K9 unit of Civil Defence, is now travelling out of Panama with a team of specially trained staff and will assess the destruction and welfare needs of the animals. Jorge and his brave team will be treating as many animals as they are able to help."

"Our teams will be working out of a mobile clinic which has been donated to us by the Antigua and Barbuda Humane Society," writes WSPA USA executive director Cecily West in an email.

"WSPA and IFAW have pledged funds to fully outfit this mobile clinic, and it will be shipped from Antigua to our member society, Sociedad Dominicana Para la Protección de Animales (SODOPRECA), in the Dominican Republic for them to drive across the border into Haiti."

"As always with disasters like this, the humanitarian rescue efforts will be the focus in the first week or so," according to IFAW's Web site.

"The immediate priorities will be getting food, clean water, shelter and medical attention to the survivors. After those immediate human needs are met, IFAW's Emergency Response team will be ready to assist the animal victims in any way that we can."

It will take trained search dogs to locate some of the people trapped in the rubble.

And it will take people to help save dogs and other animals in Haiti.

GET INVOLVED

• Support the WSPA Disaster Animal Fund
• Support the HSUS International Disaster Fund

image: a rescue dog searches for survivors in Haiti (CNN)