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| Recovering Victim - Photo Courtesy Humane Society Louisiana |
Many animal rescuers are familiar with Camp Katrina,
also known as Tylertown, in the small town of Tylertown, Mississippi. The
Humane Society of Louisiana (HSL) ran their operation from a building there
which burned to the ground on October 26. They had remained there after Katrina
to run a shelter.
Thanks to staff members who risked their lives, almost
all of the animals were saved. Per
one staff member who lived on the property, “I was scared, but adrenaline kicked
in. I was throwing my birds out the backroom and throwing the cats out,
just anything I can get out.”
A ferret and at least two cats died. Some cats
are missing, but presumed to have survived. The staff is attempting to recover
these cats as the commotion subsides. There were two staff members living in the
building. They lost their home and all their possessions.
Over a dozen cats are being treated for smoke
inhalation and will have a long recovery. HSL is in need of donations to cover
veterinary care. They also need donations to replace what has been lost. Here
is their
wish list. They had a long term plan to move to a newly purchased property
and now the fire has sped up that timeline and donations are needed for that
endeavor as well.
This is a group with a good reputation who did hard
work during and after Katrina and now many local rescuers in Mississippi and
Louisiana are coming to their aid. A FaceBook event has
been set up to help raise funds. (They have no connection with and receive no
donations from the Humane Society of the United States.)
