ASHEVILLE-OCT18-WEB

Brother Wolf Aids Animals
in Path of Florence
By Savannah Merritt
Brother Wolf Animal Rescue has been working to help
the animals affected by Hurricane Florence long before
the storm made landfall on the eastern side of the state.
When coastal animal shelters began evacuating ahead
of imminent flooding, they immediately offered aid by
transporting animals to shelters in New York and Florida.
By the time Hurricane Florence reached the Carolinas,
they had already moved nearly 100 animals to safety.
The transport vans heading to New York made pit
stops in Asheville, where crews of their staff members
and volunteers met the dogs for walks and cuddles before
continuing on their journeys.
During one of these stops, they met a dog named
Easton, who could barely stand because he was so
malnourished. Instead of loading him back into the
transport van, their medical team led him into their
Adoption Center, where he was given plenty of food and
fluids. During an intake exam, they also discovered that
Easton was suffering from mange and heartworm disease.
Now that he’s with Brother Wolf, this sweet dog will
receive all of the love and care he needs to heal and
eventually find a forever family of his own.
Once the storm was over, two teams from Brother Wolf
were deployed to the coast for animal care and search
and rescue efforts. Through their Rapid Response
program, they were able to assist with disaster relief and
recovery efforts in the southeast.
Their team in Wallace, NC has been rescuing dogs and
cats from floodwaters filled with debris, chemicals, and
bacteria. Some dogs have been found tied to structures,
with no way to escape rising waters. Many cats have been
found in trees or on rooftops, stranded with no food, water,
or weather protection. And one tiny 3-week old kitten was
pulled from the water just before drowning. She’s safe with
one of their bottle feeding foster moms now.
Brother Wolf staff member, Rhett Hammond,
carefully loading a crate with rescued cats.
Their other team is working to save pigs and chickens
who have been abandoned by the millions on factory
farms. A piglet was rescued from the flood waters, where
she had been fighting for her life through exhaustion,
dehydration, and illness. The farmed animals they rescue
will be transported to sanctuaries, where they can live the
rest of their lives in peace.
The longer animals are stranded, the more likely they
are to succumb to the risks of exposure, dehydration,
starvation, illness, and injury. Brother Wolf has been
working around the clock to save as many lives as they
can in the short window of time that they have.
It has been incredible to see the way their team of staff,
volunteers, fosters, and donors have joined together to
show these animals the compassion and care they
deserve. They would never be able to do this work if it
weren’t for the support of our incredible community - and
they would like to express thanks and deep appreciation.
Visit bwar.org to learn more about Brother Wolf’s
No-Kill mission and to get involved in their life-saving
work.
Sadly, Some Could Not Be Rescued: 3.4 Million Chickens,
5,500 Hogs Killed in Florence's Flooding
The North Carolina Department of Agriculture announced that the historic flooding from Florence has killed about
3.4 million chickens and turkeys and 5,500 hogs. "This was an unprecedented storm with flooding expected to exceed
that from any other storms in recent memory. We know agricultural losses will be significant because the flooding has
affected the top six agricultural counties in our state," said agriculture commissioner Steve Troxler.
When Matthew hit the state, it flooded more than 140 hog and poultry barns, more than a dozen open hog
waste pits and thousands of acres of manure-saturated fields, the Environmental Working Group and Waterkeeper
Alliance reported. Animal rights group PETA called the animal deaths a "tragedy."
"These millions of deaths were preventable, but as long as a market exists for animal flesh, some people will
turn a profit at the expense of animals," a spokesperson said in an email. "PETA urges everyone to take personal
responsibility, not shrug this tragedy off, and actually help stop future suffering by going vegan so that animals are no
longer forced to endure the many types of cruelty inherent in the meat industry."
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) was similarly "heartbroken" over the deaths. "HSUS is heartbroken
by the reports of the catastrophic numbers of farmed animal deaths resulting from the flooding related to Hurricane
Florence," the organization said via email, adding that the animals "needlessly lost their lives."
"Having an emergency plan, regardless of the numbers of animals at your home, facility, or farm, is the responsibility
of the humane steward caring for their welfare," HSUS added. "If the sheer number of animals makes evacuation
extremely difficult or impossible, then a hard look needs to be taken at the number of animals being cared for and
the opportunity for them to be considered in an emergency plan. The cost of not doing so, as we can see here, has a
devastating impact on the community, the environment and the animals, and are further examples of why we need to
reduce the reliance on these massive factory farms."
PAGE 16 • CRITTER MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2018