Photograph by Leah Norwood
97 dogs and 134 cats, from hairless sphynxes to pit bulls, were airlifted out of the path of Hurricane Irma September 7, touching down at Hayward Executive Airport. The animals were passengers on a private plane chartered by three local rescue organizations, including the Berkeley Humane Society, and now are safe. The dogs and cats were medically evaluated and triaged on the tarmac, then integrated into local shelters for further treatment. Many of them are now available for adoption, but others will need extended care before going to forever homes.
The evacuation was the result of a partnership between Berkeley Humane, Tony La Russa’s Animal Rescue Foundation (based in Walnut Creek,) and the East Bay SPCA. The three banded together in response to a request by the Humane Society of Broward County in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to help evacuate its animals, as the Broward shelter was directly in the path of the hurricane. Local organizations responded to this request, assembling volunteers and making space for over two hundred new animals.
Berkeley Humane received 45 animals — sixteen dogs and 29 cats, including a dog who had been recently evacuated from Puerto Rico and a one blue-eyed, one green-eyed hairless sphynx, “Icee.” The “superstar” of the airlifted pets, Icee arrived with some health problems, but became available for adoption on September 15th, deemed “ready to start his new life” by the Berkeley Humane blog. He was adopted soon after. They have decided to waive adoption fees for the evacuated animals in order to expedite free spaces.
While Berkeley Humane reports that the average animal spends nine days in their care, they predict that some of the airlifted pets will spend over a hundred days before becoming available for adoption.
“This is a very large number of dogs and cats to integrate into our organization at one time, but it is the right thing to do to ensure the safety of these animals,” said Jeffrey Zerwekh, Berkeley Humane’s Executive Director, in a statement released September 6th.
“We are expecting to be supporting their medical, physical and emotional needs in the weeks and months to come,” he said.