Who's Helping Haiti's Animal Population?

This past week, an unprecedented number of rescue dogs and their partners have flown into Haiti from all over the world: Russia, China, Peru, Great Britain, Taiwan, France, Mexico, and the United States. As Michael Antonucci, a board member with the Search Dog Foundation, says, "It's everybody’s emergency."

The nonprofit Search Dog Foundation recruits shelter dogs, teams them with firefighters, and trains them to find survivors in disasters—all of which is provided free of charge to fire departments throughout the U.S. And to help with the costs of the Haiti mission, Joanne Woodward and the Newman Foundation have made a $100,000 challenge. If you want to help the SDF meet that challenge, call 888.459.4376. You can follow the progress of the SDF in Haiti on Facebook and Twitter.

That's how the animals are serving the humans of this disaster, but what of the Haitian animal population?

Haiti has a very large stray dog presence. (You can view photos taken in 2003 of some Port-au-Prince pooches for an idea of their lives before the earthquake hit. Warning: Not for the faint-of-heart.) Wayne Pacelle, CEO of the Humane Society, writes on his blog: "One difficulty is that there are no organized animal welfare groups anywhere in the country, and no animal shelters or veterinary schools. This lack of infrastructure will complicate any response."

But fortunately, animal welfare organizations aren't undone by complications. Here are a few that were on the move last week in the Dominican Republic, waiting for a green light to enter Haiti:
The WSPA (World Society for the Protection of Animals) is partnering with the IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare).
The Humane Society teamed up with the Humane Society International, the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Assn., and the Veterinary Care & Humane Services - Caribbean Project of the Dominican Republic.

Visit any of the linked Web sites to read more about the organizations' efforts or to donate to those efforts to help the farm animals, the wild creatures, and the pets of Haiti. I've added a link to the right as well. When tragedy strikes, it affects the entire ecological chain—not just the folks featured on the evening news.