We have always been keen on saving animals but never has it been more pronounced than in the past few years. Too many disasters have struck the world, and in each situation, there is an effort to keep animals as well as humans safe from harm.
The 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina are examples of how people come together to help others and to help animals. It was the same in Japan in March when the devastating earthquake and tsunami hit the country or the earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand where people helped save animals along with human life.
We have begun to act to establish more guideline regarding animal rescue. In 2006, the PETS Act was formally passed as law. This is the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act which defines the right procedures that need to be taken when rescuing animals. A lot of credit must be given to environmentalists and animal lovers who have brought the plight of animals, endangered or not to public awareness.
Never again will the trauma of losing one’s pet as what happened to many in New Orleans be experienced. There are protocols now in place which includes animals abandoned by their owners. According to Tim Rickey who is one of the directors for American Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Animals, this law has been part of what they have clamored for all these years, and it took a hurricane to open politicians’ eyes.
Jeff Popowich of the Best Friends Animal Society says it best, “If you can save one life every day, it doesn’t matter what else happens, you’ve saved one.”
