By Wednesday night, about 75 dogs and cats from Southeastern Louisiana were settling into shelters in the Northeast. They left Wednesday morning from Lafayette Regional after coming to town from shelters emptied ahead of Hurricane Ida.
"We had seven participating shelters. Animals from St. John, Terrebonne, St. Charles, Iberville, all leaving today to evacuate the areas hardest hit by the storm," says Jeanine Foucher, Executive Director of Acadiana Animal Aid.
By Wednesday night, about 75 dogs and cats from Southeastern Louisiana were settling into shelters in the Northeast. They left Wednesday morning from Lafayette Regional after coming to town from shelters emptied ahead of Hurricane Ida.
"We had seven participating shelters. Animals from St. John, Terrebonne, St. Charles, Iberville, all leaving today to evacuate the areas hardest hit by the storm," says Jeanine Foucher, Executive Director of Acadiana Animal Aid.
Acadiana Animal Aid helped to facilitate the pick up through Greater Good Charities. It wasn't the first and won't be the last of its kind in the coming weeks.
"Prior to the storm, about 150 animals left via flights and ground transports. Today we had a flight with 75 pets. Friday we have another flight. We anticipate many more over the coming weeks as animals start coming into the shelter system," says Foucher.
The number of pets who will need new homes is overwhelming, but Greater Good Charities has chosen destinations with high adoption rates and hopeful futures for these animals.
"Once they get to New Jersey and Pennsylvania and they have their health checks, spayed and neutered, they will be ready for adoption, and they will be snatched up. All our Louisiana love bugs, they get quickly adopted," says Erin Robbins with Greater Good Charities.