The animals Katrina left behind
2005-09-13 12:58
Serena de Souza
Last week I expressed my sorrow at the devastation of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina. But, silly, emotional me, it has been the images of the week after that have moved me to tears on a number of occasions.
The most unbelievably heartbreaking thing about it has been the photographs of the animals left behind. As an animal lover, the idea of being separated from my pets, creatures that I have chosen to share my life with, is too awful to contemplate.
I know how my dog greets me when I get home from work in the evenings. I know that her whole day centres around anticipating this reunion. Even my disdainful cats flock around my ankles in the evening because they haven't seen me all day.
Terrible stories
The story of the little boy whose dog Snowball was taken away from him as he and his family entered a shelter has become the enduring image of heartbreak in the wake of the hurricane. The little boy was apparently so devastated by the separation that he screamed his dog's name over and over again until he vomited.
On the website that told Snowball's story, there was a link to other stories of animals displaced by the disaster. Thinking there might possibly be heartwarming stories of reunions, and needing a bit of a lift after the images of looting and shooting, I clicked on the link.
Much to my horror, there were pictures of dogs wandering the streets alone or, even worse, locked behind gates in uninhabited houses. There was the dog that played with one of the National Guard as he entered the city, but couldn't be taken with him.
There was the story of a dog that was furiously loyal to a man who had died on the roof of a building, and barked so ferociously at police that they couldn't approach him. There was the story of the woman who set her dogs free, but left behind her hamster and knows he won't survive.
But there is still some hope. One man who was found floating with his dog on a tire and refused to leave, saying he'd lost everything except the one creature he knew he could trust, might not be forcibly removed, as there is now uncertainty about the legality of such evictions.
A man who helped people to put their animals down, rather than abandon them, was left with a bundle of dogs by evacuees who begged him to keep them alive for as long as possible. At last check, he was still in a building feeding and looking after people's pets.
Snowball was also located at a shelter and returned to his family. And many rescue and fundraising efforts have been started to try and deal with the displaced animals.
Situations like these always raise the issue of whether any funds or efforts should be put into saving animals when human lives are at stake. I feel very strongly that when we choose to take responsibility for another living creature, that responsibility extends to ensuring their survival.
Serena de Souza has been snuggling her pets extra tight this week.
Send your comments to Serena or discuss this column now in our debating forum.
Disclaimer: News24 encourages freedom of speech and the expression of diverse views. The views of columnists published on News24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of News24.
- News24