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WORLD NEWS Thursday 21 december 2017

Abandoned pets swamp shelters in post-hurricane Puerto Rico

By DANICA COTO currently has 120. Some live
Associated Press in cages on the roof be-
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico cause there is no room in-
(AP) — They’ve been side, she said.
tossed over fences, tied to In the immediate after-
gates and even left with math of the hurricane, a
a $20 bill under their col- variety of groups flew more
lar. Abandoned animals than 1,000 animals to no-kill
are overwhelming Puerto shelters on the U.S. main-
Rico’s shelters, which were land, but animal activist Syl-
already struggling to cope via Bedrosian said overbur-
with the hundreds of thou- dened shelters are again
sands of stray animals that running out of space and
were roaming the island resources and are report-
even before Hurricane Ma- ing a drop in adoptions.
ria approached. “People have always
Hundreds of dogs, cats abandoned pets, but not
and even the occasional with the magnitude we’re
pet pig and fighting cock seeing now,” she said.
have been left at shelters Most of Puerto Rico’s ani-
as people flee hardships mal shelters were badly
on the U.S. territory or find damaged by Hurricane
they can no longer cope Maria. Volunteers at one
with animals as they try to had to wade through Dog trainer Cesar Millan known for his TV show “Dog Whisperer,” pets a rescued dog at Canita
rebuild their lives after the waist-deep waters carrying Sanctuary, where abandoned cats and dogs are protected from being euthanized, in Guayama,
Category 4 storm that hit dogs to safety, while other Puerto Rico.
three months ago. Many shelters lost their roofs, food (AP Photo/Carlos Giusti)
animals are just left to fend and cages. at least $200,000, in part The shelter’s roof is collaps- 200,000 Puerto Ricans have
for themselves in the streets. While there are no offi- through private donations, ing, and the supermarket fled for the mainland, a
“The situation is horrible,” cial figures, and estimates to help rebuild five shelters. that used to donate left- few leaving pets tied up in
said Claribel Pizarro, ex- vary wildly, activists say the At the biggest shelter, lo- over food to help feed empty homes with a bag
ecutive assistant at the number of stray animals cated on the south coast, the dogs has permanently of food. Others who remain
Humane Society of Puerto increased after the hurri- director Maribel Ortiz said closed because it was so on the island sometimes
Rico. “They want to turn in cane because many shel- she is caring for more than badly damaged, leaving find they can no longer
pets every single day. ... ters were closed. And with 750 pets at her Canine Ortiz with fewer resources afford a pet, or have no
There are a lot of animals many veterinarians also Sanctuary of Divine Mercy, to meet a growing de- place to keep animals be-
being abandoned when closed, animal rights activ- including 100 abandoned mand. cause they are staying with
we tell them our shelter is ists say they are seeing a after the hurricane. The strain on the pets is a friends or neighbors as they
full and that there’s a wait- sudden jump in the number “It’s too many, right?” she side effect of the broader wait for power to return.
ing list.” of puppies due to the inter- said. “There are a lot of devastation that has hit the Some animals are just left
At least 250 people have ruption in spay and neuter (animals), and we’ve been island. More than 30,000 behind on roadsides or in
put their pets on the list operations immediately af- criticized for that, but if people have lost jobs in empty homes, to be found
for the Humane Society’s ter Maria hit. they’re roaming around, Puerto Rico, more than eventually by crews from
no-kill shelter, which has a Shelter officials and vol- we’re not going to leave 200,000 homes have been the U.S. Federal Emergency
capacity of 80 animals but unteers now hope to raise them behind.” damaged, and more than Management Agency.q
Rogue Venezuela cop reappears in online video showing attack

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) in army green shirts and video. Interior Ministry buildings potential ruse to support
— A rogue Venezuelan cop pants, with their hands tied Maduro said that several in Caracas. Nobody was Maduro’s assertion the na-
who staged an attack ear- behind their backs. rifles were stolen just out- injured and Perez has re- tion is regularly assaulted
lier this year on two govern- “The people are the true side of Caracas and that mained a fugitive, making by opposition conspirators,
ment buildings in Caracas force, not the regime,” Per- he had ordered the armed occasional appearances though some friends have
has reappeared in a video ez says. forces to find and take on social media. spoken in his defense.
showing an apparent as- President Nicolas Maduro down the terrorists responsi- In addition to being a The recent video shows
sault on a military base. late Tuesday condemned ble for carrying out attacks trained officer, Perez is an Perez smashing a portrait
The video shared on Os- a weekend assault on a on the country. actor, pilot and dog train- of Maduro with his foot and
car Perez’s Twitter account National Guard barrack Perez led a high-profile at- er. Many within Venezuela assailants berating guards-
shows him and several oth- during a televised appear- tack in July, using a stolen have cast doubt on the le- men for doing nothing to
er armed assailants holding ance, though made no police helicopter to fire on gitimacy of his purported help their fellow citizens suf-
up a group of men dressed mention of Perez or the the Supreme Court and attacks, seeing them as a fering from hunger.q