The Cayman Islands Humane Society has praised members of the community for their “heroic efforts” to get every animal out of the shelter ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Beryl.
“People were amazingly patient at times, queueing out of the door whilst we matched up families, homes, and animals for the best fit,” Samantha Cooper, Humane Society operations manager, told the Cayman Compass. “We’re always humbled by the amazing and quick community response every time we have a storm. It was a huge effort.”
Cooper confirmed the community response was “amazing” in getting all of the shelter’s 373 animals – 169 dogs and 204 cats – into temporary homes.
She said the shelter sustained minimal damage during the storm. “We had flooding, a few roof tiles came off, some branches from trees/shrubs came off, but other than that, the shelter seems to have fared well.”
Staff and volunteers were on hand Thursday and Friday to help clean up the shelter. They took to social media to ask that people keep the fostered animals until Saturday to enable that process.
A number of animals from the Humane Society were brought to the pet-friendly hurricane shelters on Grand Cayman, including the John Gray High School Gymnasium.
“We are also very grateful for the support of [Hazard Management Cayman Islands] in being able to take some of our animals to the shelters, as our current building is not hurricane proof.”
During a press briefing ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Beryl, Premier Juliana O’Connor-Connolly emphasised taking care of animals during the storm, for which Cooper said she was grateful.
“Animals are in serious physical danger if left outside during storms and hurricanes, just as people would be, and they are also terrified,” Cooper said. “The five freedoms for animals include freedom from fear and distress, freedom from discomfort, freedom from hunger and thirst, and freedom from pain, injury and disease, and freedom to express normal behaviours.”
She added, “These are the basic standards that all pet owners in the Cayman Islands are required to meet under the Animals [Act], to avoid committing an act of cruelty, and leaving pets outside during storms and hurricanes deprives animals of these essential freedoms.”
Cooper said the shelter continues to refine its protocols for before, during and after storms.
“We do have regular volunteers who help during storms, flooding and disasters. However, we are also heartened that new people come forward each time to assist if they can, and understand that the ability of any community member to assist depends on their personal circumstances at the time.”
She noted that the planned new shelter is expected to be “robust enough” to safeguard their animals during a storm.
Related Videos
