Drone Dog Rescuer Earns PETA Support

Douglas Thron Is Raising Money for a Drone and an ATV to Save Animals in the Bahamas After Hurricane Dorian

For Immediate Release:
September 26, 2019

Contact:
Brooke Rossi 202-483-7382

This week, PETA donated $2,500 to a fundraiser set up by Oakland resident Douglas Thron, a cinematographer and animal activist who recently used a drone to locate and rescue an abandoned dog from “mountains of debris” in the Bahamas in the wake of Hurricane Dorian. Thron is aiming to raise $25,500 to put toward a custom infrared drone and an all-terrain vehicle to help him do the same for many other animals still struggling to survive in the rubble.

“Douglas Thron is using his creativity and critical thinking to rescue as many animals as possible from post-Dorian devastation,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA is proud to support this and stands with him as he works to meet his goal.”

A recent survey revealed that 91% of animal guardians aren’t prepared for a natural disaster. PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—urges animal guardians to make a plan for their family in case of emergency evacuations and not to leave animal companions behind to fend for themselves. Animals should never be left tied up or confined to crates, pens, or hutches, as they’ll be trapped and unable to flee rising water. A PETA hurricane-preparedness public service announcement is available here.

Thron was one of PETA’s 2018 People of the Year for filming the rescue of a cat who was stuck under a burned-out truck during the California wildfires.

PETA opposes speciesism, which is a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org.