The Humane Society of the US (HSUS) Animal Rescue Group (ART) is on name 24/7, able to deploy each time animals are caught in large-scale emergencies. Every year, ART rescues 1000’s of animals from pure and artifical catastrophes, pet mills, animal combating rings, hoarding conditions, and different cases of cruelty and neglect.
Emergencies and pure disasters can occur with out warning and are occurring extra often. We all know that just about 44% of people that didn’t evacuate throughout Hurricane Katrina stored themselves in hurt’s approach due to their companion animals. Within the wake of Hurricane Katrina, we developed a proactive response mannequin to higher help communities dealing with pure catastrophes. This mannequin is centered on clearing animal shelters forward of storms to make sure native amenities have the house and assets to look after displaced pets. ART removes animals from instant hazard, supplies on-site medical care, and transports them to secure areas the place they obtain the care they want till they are often completely rehomed.
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The Important Want
The rising frequency of catastrophic climate occasions, pushed by local weather change, has made ART’s work extra pressing than ever. Since 1980, the annual incidence of floods and damaging rainfalls has quadrupled, and excessive climate occasions corresponding to droughts, forest fires, and extreme storms have doubled within the final 40 years. These disasters create harmful circumstances for animals and folks alike. Up to now three years alone, a whole lot of 1000’s of animals have perished in floods, fires, and different pure disasters.
Animal Rescue Group proposaBeyond these climate-related catastrophes, circumstances of neglect, cruelty, abandonment, and hoarding proceed to pose a critical menace to animals. Whereas HSUS has labored tirelessly to boost public consciousness and convey perpetrators of animal cruelty to justice, many areas throughout the U.S. nonetheless lack the assets and information wanted to handle these points.
Increasing and strengthening ART’s response capabilities is essential to assembly these challenges. ART is totally geared up to reply to any large-scale animal emergency, mobilizes specialised belongings, corresponding to transport autos and a cell veterinary unit, and delivers shelter provides in excessive cruelty or neglect conditions.
When referred to as upon, ART delivers a complete response that features:
- Preemptive Motion: Clearing native animal shelters earlier than a disaster to make sure house for displaced pets, retaining them near their communities to facilitate household reunions.
- Rescue and Care: Eradicating animals from instant peril, offering medical care on-site, and transporting them to secure areas the place they obtain ongoing shelter, medical therapy, and eventual placement in everlasting houses.
- Technical Rescue: Our devoted crew of professional responders is licensed in swift and slack water rescue. Because of this in instances of flooding, if animals have been left behind or their house owners tried to remain however then needed to depart, the crew can reply to the floodwaters and safely take away them.
- Authorized Assist: Helping regulation enforcement in investigating extreme circumstances of animal abuse and aiding the prosecution of these accountable. ART brings important experience in coping with crime scenes for animal cruelty and is the go-to supply for regulation enforcement.
- Logistical Help: We ship important provides, together with pet meals and different requirements, to shelters and households affected by disasters.
- Reduction Grants: Offering monetary help to native clinics and shelters for veterinary care and boarding of displaced animals.
- Emergency Planning: Collaborating with native, state, and nationwide authorities to develop and implement catastrophe administration plans that embrace animal provisions.
With the beneficiant help of companions, we are able to proceed to boost ART’s means to reply swiftly and successfully to any crises, strengthening our emergency response and rescue capabilities.
Rehabilitation and Restoration
The restoration course of for rescued animals varies, with some requiring particular care or long-term rehabilitation earlier than they are often adopted. The HSUS rehabilitation facility, a 47,000- square-foot house geared up with state-of-the-art kennels, an in-house clinic, and outside areas, is designed to fulfill these wants. Right here, as much as 400 animals obtain the care they should get well from trauma and medical points, guaranteeing they are often positioned in loving houses.
Lengthy-Time period Technique
A essential facet of our program is working with native governments and stakeholders to combine animals into catastrophe administration plans. We proactively interact with high- threat communities to develop or develop catastrophe plans to guard essentially the most susceptible animals. Our dedication extends past instant reduction, specializing in long-term restoration and constructing resilience to future disasters.
Disaster Deployments
2017: The 2017 hurricane season required an unprecedented response. Due to the federal Pet Evacuation and Transportation Requirements (PETS) Act, handed in Katrina’s wake on the urging of the HSUS, there have been extra assets to maintain pets and households collectively, however the wants had been nonetheless huge right here and overseas. ART assisted in Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico. After the storms, we supplied search and rescue capability, wildlife experience, and help to pet house owners in impacted communities. We assisted over 15,000 animals and supplied 1000’s of kilos of human and animal provides.
Hurricane Harvey – Texas: We evacuated 1,007 adoptable animals from Texas, which freed up house in native shelters for the inflow of displaced and misplaced animals who arrived within the storm’s wake. We carried out 16 transports out of Texas by air and floor to companions nationwide. We coordinated the supply of 8 tons of feed, 1,500 luggage of shavings, and a couple of,554 hay bales to the Delta Equine Heart in Galveston. After the storm, we labored with native officers to conduct search and rescue operations, serving to native authorities get well 138 animals stranded in houses. ART additionally carried out an aerial evaluation of stranded cattle in Southeast Texas, offering their coordinates to the Texas Air Nationwide Guard, who may drop hay to feed the cattle till the water receded. Expense: $1,516,863
Hurricane Irma—Florida: We transported greater than 900 adoptable animals out of hurt’s approach and supplied 10,000 kilos of donations to shelters and human service businesses in impacted areas because the storm approached. Our personal South Florida Wildlife Heart was caught within the crosshairs of Irma; it sustained important harm and misplaced energy for days. However that didn’t cease our workers from opening the day after the storm and taking in additional than 400 injured wildlife whereas concurrently engaged on repairs. Most of the animals taken in had been injured and younger orphaned, they usually had been blown from nests. Expense: $316,193
Hurricane Maria – Puerto Rico: By means of our Humane Puerto Rico program, the HSUS has shut relationships with animal welfare organizations on the island. With the cooperation of the Puerto Rican authorities, we launched a transport to evacuate 2,000 adoptable canines and cats, inserting them via our networks with assist from St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Heart. With assist from the South Florida Wildlife Heart, we organized dozens of reduction flights and shipments, delivering 300,000 kilos of human and animal provides to hard-hit neighborhoods on mainland Puerto Rico and the island of Vieques. Expense: $3,469,170
2018: When two main Atlantic hurricanes landed a one-two punch on the Southeast U.S., ART deployed, saving animals earlier than, throughout, and after Hurricanes Florence and Michael. We coordinated and funded transports of a whole lot of animals from space shelters and deployed to among the hardest-hit areas to assist stranded and deserted animals, arrange meals deliveries, perform area rescues, and assist storm-damaged shelters get well. All advised, we instantly helped greater than 650 animals and transported greater than 1,000 to security. Expense: $394,728
2020: ART was deployed a number of instances for excessive pure disasters, and almost 600 animals had been transported out of shelters to supply house for incoming animals affected by storms. After Hurricane Sally walloped Florida, we helped in Escambia County by delivering meals and provides to impacted shelters and transporting animals for veterinary care in storm-hit communities. Expense: $61,397
2021: ART deployed to Kentucky to help the Mayfield-Graves County animal shelter with search and rescue and shelter operations after devastating tornadoes. We remained on the scene to assist reunite misplaced pets with their households, distribute assets to pet house owners, and transport surrendered animals to shelter companions for adoption. Expense: $45,766
2022: Earlier than Hurricane Ian, the HSUS funded and facilitated the secure transport of greater than 150 adoptable canines, cats, and guinea pigs from Florida shelters to our shelter companions, releasing capability for misplaced animals after the storm. Within the weeks following the storm, we ran a pet meals/provides distribution heart and a pop-up veterinary clinic providing free vet companies in Port Charlotte, Florida. Expense: $203,209
2023: In Florida, we transported dozens of shelter animals out of the trail of Hurricane Idalia and distributed free pet meals and farm animal feed within the aftermath, reaching 872 households and 9,083 animals. Expense: $114,770
In Maui, after the devastating wildfires, we despatched pressing and demanding provides corresponding to pet meals and crates to the Maui Humane Society and helped workers course of the inflow of experiences about misplaced and located pets.
ART has rescued over 55,000 animals from cruelty and catastrophes. In 2024 alone, ART already has 4 non-catastrophe deployments, aiding regulation enforcement in rescuing 1,217 animals.
- 55,000+ Animals recieved care from our animal rescue crew after being saved from cruetly and disasters
- 350+ Shelters Animal throughout the nation permit us to name on them when rescued animals want a secure place to go; they’re generally known as our Shelter and Rescue Companions.
- 30,000+ Hours are spent yearly by animal rescue volunteers.
Important Enhancements for Speedy Motion
Our Animal Rescue Group’s catastrophe work extends far past boots-on-the-ground response. We work year-round with communities throughout the U.S. to organize for more and more extreme storm seasons. For example, final November, we partnered with the Virginia Federation of Humane Societies to safeguard shelter animals throughout storms. We additionally collaborate with native
governments and companions to include animal welfare into their catastrophe preparedness plans, offering important coaching and serving to develop strong protocols. Lately, the HSUS hosted catastrophe preparedness coaching for 21 regulation enforcement officers in Indiana.
When disasters strike, our help doesn’t finish with instant reduction. After Tropical Storm Debby prompted extreme flooding and energy outages within the Southeastern U.S., we supplied essential provides and funding to the affected counties. Our work continues lengthy after the preliminary disaster, providing long-term help to assist animal caretakers and communities get well and construct stronger resilience for the long run.
Our crew depends upon specialised gear to entry distant areas and carry out reliably in excessive climate circumstances. As we proceed to supply important help and assist communities get well after disasters, we should improve our operational capabilities to serve these in want higher. To attain this, we now have recognized a number of capital enhancements that can considerably strengthen our response efforts.
Speedy Wants for Enhanced Rescue Readiness:
- Dodgen Cell Expertise Specialty Car – Change our ageing 2012 Dodgen disaster response automobile, which has skilled a number of breakdowns throughout latest deployments, to make sure we’re geared up for speedy and dependable response in future disasters. ($175,000)
- Cell X-ray Unit – Enhance medical and diagnostic capabilities, decreasing dependency on exterior clinics and guaranteeing sooner, extra cost- efficient therapy for rescued animals. ($85,000)
- Transit Sprinter Van – Allow environment friendly regional transport of animals, together with airport runs and emergency deployments, decreasing reliance on Penske autos. ($80,000)
- Facility Enhancements – Set up Karunda canine beds and add a brand new roof over train patio, permitting for year-round, all-weather use to enhance animal consolation and rehabilitation circumstances. Buy 4 “evapfans” to higher regulate temperature within the rehabilitation heart, guaranteeing a steady and comfy setting for animals recovering from crises. ($75,000)
We invite you to associate with us on this essential, lifesaving mission. Our rescue crew’s readiness and success depend upon the continued help of compassionate people and organizations like yours.
By working collectively, we are able to dramatically improve our means to avoid wasting animals from life-threatening conditions, and we’re wanting to discover impactful methods to collaborate on disaster response.
| Price range Animal Rescue Group – U.S. | 2025 |
| Salaries & Advantages | $2,703,000 |
| Journey | $907,500 |
| Consultants & Providers | $2,137,500 |
| Animal Care & Vet Provides | $364,500 |
| Workshops & Symposiums | $30,000 |
| Operations, together with communications, public relations, analysis, administrative help, and accounting. | $307,125 |
| Complete 2025 Price range | $6,449,625 |
Our Mission
The Humane Society of the US goals to create a greater world for all animals. The Humane Society household of organizations works across the globe to guard companion animals and wildlife, enhance farm animal welfare, promote animal-free testing strategies, and reform industries that hurt animals. By means of our rescue, response, sanctuary work, and different direct companies, we assist 1000’s of animals in want. We additionally work to finish the cruelest practices towards animals, look after animals in disaster, and construct a extra strong animal safety motion worldwide.
Contact:
Steve McVeigh: Vice President Enterprise Improvement, 301-548-7730, smcveigh@humanesociety.org
Erin Jackson: Senior Basis Relations Supervisor, 717-715-4012, ejackson@humanesociety.org
