SLIDELL, La., Oct. 17, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Noah's Wish, the not-for-profit organization that works exclusively to rescue and shelter animals in disasters, is caring for over 1,000 pets at a temporary animal shelter located at 1325 Bayou Lane in Slidell, La. Residents are being asked to visit the shelter, located next to Heritage Park, to identify their animals. Over 700 pets have not been claimed by owners. Animals will be held for 30 days, and if unclaimed, will be placed in foster care for an additional 30 days in order to make every effort to reunite owners with their pets. Noah's Wish expects to be operating the temporary shelter in Slidell until November 15, 2005.
"Miracles continue to happen every day," said Terri Crisp, founder and director of Noah's Wish. "Just last week, a dog was rescued from a nearby highway. When she arrived at the shelter, we realized she was nursing, so there had to be puppies left behind. We took the dog out to the area she was found, and she quickly led us to a porch where we found her puppies." The puppies had been alone for a day or two, but they and their mother are doing fine.
Noah's Wish has been working with Slidell Animal Control to rescue, shelter and care for animals in the aftermath of Katrina for 49 days. The following are the most updated statistics pertaining to Hurricane Katrina rescue:
To date, Noah's Wish has cared for over 1,647 animals at the temporary facility including over 600 cats, over 900 dogs, 12 birds, 8 chickens, 7 ducks, 1 emu, 1 scorpion, 1 tarantula, 1 ferret, 1 fish, 3 geese, 2 horses, 3 lizards, 2 mice, 2 pot-belly pigs, one rat, 12 rabbits, 3 snakes, 1 pea hen, 1 flying squirrel, 3 squirrels.
384 pets have been reunited with owners.
708 animals at the shelter have not yet identified by owners.
195 pets have been adopted. (These were animals in the Slidell Animal Control Shelter before the storm and animals that have been surrendered.)
32 pets are in foster care. (Some have been placed in foster care at the request of owners who were displaced; others for medical and behavioral reasons.)
284 owned pets are being cared for at the temporary shelter in Slidell. (Some pets are being fostered here, and others will eventually be moved to foster homes off site.)
Total number of animals affected by Hurricane Katrina that have been cared for by Noah's Wish and Slidell Animal Control to date -- 1,647.
Total number of volunteers who have traveled from around the United States and Canada to donate their time to assist in the rescue and recovery efforts -- 748.
Number of animals given food in the community on average per day -- 140.
Number of animals from the community provided medical treatment and vaccinations on average per day -- 12.
Animals that have died. (Due to illness and injury. Most medical conditions were pre-existing (i.e: cancer, heart problems, liver problems) -- 44.
Noah's Wish is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization based in Placerville, California (near Sacramento). Donations to assist rescue of animals in disasters may be mailed to Noah's Wish, P.O. Box 997, Placerville, Ca. 95667.