51-year-old Tony Alsup hopes to open his own animal shelter one day. Until that dream becomes a reality, he is doing everything in his power to help dogs and cats affected by natural disasters. It started when he learned about the overcrowding in Texas shelters after Hurricane Harvey. The truck driver from Greenback, Tennessee knew he had to help, but he could not transport animals in a semi-trailer. “I thought, well what can I do?” Alsup told the Washington Post. “I’ll just go buy a bus.” And the kind-hearted animal lover did just that! Alsup purchased an old yellow school bus for $3,200, removed the seats, and headed to Texas. Since then, he has been transporting pets out of disaster zones across the south. He even traveled to Puerto Rico to assist in animal rescue efforts after Hurricane Maria. To read more on this story, click here:Trucker Drives 64 Shelter Pets Out Of The Path Of Hurricane Florence
Dozens of adorable dogs who were rescued from hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico are now up for adoption in New York, animal shelter sources said Sunday. A total of 28 dogs — some of which were abandoned during the natural disaster— are up for grabs at Animal Haven on the Lower East Side, said Tiffany Lacey, executive director of the shelter. “These animals are in dire need. It’s life or death down there,” Lacey urged. “Come in and adopt because you’re gonna be helping.” The furry survivors were rescued from the island by charter plane and brought to the no-kill shelter on Saturday night, according to Lacy. The furry survivors include a pure-bred Shih Tzu, Great Dane and a hound, which are available for adoption beginning Tuesday. Some of the dogs were left at shelters by owners in the aftermath of the hurricane. Others were strays before the storm struck. The raging storm worsened the country’s epidemic of homeless and starving pups. “Even without a natural disaster, it is overwhelming. There’s a very high euthanasia rate. A lot of people are dumping animals,” Lacey said. A total of 53 dogs were saved by the animal rescue group The Sato Project. Some were brought to shelters elsewhere in the United States. The rescue was funded by the John and Wendy Neu Family Foundation, which worked with The Sato Project. Anyone who wants to adopt a dog should contact the shelter at (212) 274-8511. Visit their website: Animal Haven
WASHINGTON — Since Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico about one month ago, a team of scientists has trekked daily into El Yunque National Forest hoping to pick up signs or sounds of endangered Puerto Rican Parrots. Their habitat stripped of foIiage by Hurricane Maria, the parrots, both wild and those released after being bred in captivity, went quiet. “Hurricane Maria seems to be a major setback for recovery of the parrot,” said Jafet Veléz-Valentín, a wildlife biology/aviculturalist for the Iguaca Aviary, formerly the Luquillo Aviary. On Wednesday, 28 days after Maria, there was “a new hope,” as Veléz-Valentín described it in a string of texts from the island. Someone spotted a cotorra, the Spanish word for parrot, with a radio collar and an orange leg band in Barrio Caguitas in Aguas Buenas. The person notified the aviary through Facebook. The collar and band mean the parrot is part of a population bred during the 2016 season, Veléz-Valentín said. “One of our biologists, Gabriel Benítez Soto, contacted the person who saw and photographed the parrot,” he said, adding that another search is on in the forest and vicinity for more parrots.
