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DAVAO ORIENTAL, Philippines – Amid the rising death toll at the site of the devastating landslide and as rescue efforts shifted towards retrieving bodies in Davao de Oro, a team of disaster responders unexpectedly found themselves saving pets that had survived the February 6 tragedy.
As of 7 pm on Thursday, February 15, the death toll rose from 85 to 92 while the search continued to 36 other missing people.
After the landslide, 97 pet owners went to authorities and asked for help.
“We saw many dogs and cats. They were agitated, scared, and very hungry when rescuers found them in the rubble,” said Dr. Headyn Cenabre, assistant head of the provincial veterinary office of Davao de Oro, during a press conference on Thursday.
Workers from the veterinary office have rescued 127 dogs and cats from the rubble and hiding in abandoned houses in the landslide-hit villages of Masara and Mainit in Maco town as of February 14. They provided them with food, vaccination, vitamins, and leashes, among others.
Of the rescued animals, 23 dogs and 27 cats have remained unclaimed as of this posting.
Cenabre said rescuing the animals was very difficult for her team due to the high and rough terrain and rain in the area.
“We put the rescued animals in cages. Responders had to walk for long hours on rough roads from the mountains to the lowland. We hope and pray for fair weather as we continue to look for more surviving animals. There are still many areas and houses in the landslide-hit villages that have yet to be reached by our animal rescue team,” she said.
Apex Mining Corporation, a firm which saw several dozen of its workers buried in the landslide, sent a team to help, and vehicles for the ongoing animal rescue operation.
Cenabre said her team brought the unclaimed dogs and cats to a temporary shelter in an impounding area in Mawab town.
“For the rescued dogs with no owners, we will put them through an adoption process. As far as I know, there are already many people who have expressed their intention to adopt these unclaimed dogs. And we are willing to entertain those who wish to adopt these dogs,” said Cenabre.
She advised the owners of unclaimed dogs and cats to visit the municipal agriculture offices of Mawab and Maco towns or they may send messages to the official Facebook page of the provincial veterinary office of Davao de Oro. – Rappler.com
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