Urgent! Cruel—and Criminal—to Abandon Animals During Tropical Storm Hanna
For Immediate Release:
July 24, 2020
Contact:
Megan Wiltsie 202-483-7382
As Tropical Storm Hanna approaches—and because a tropical storm warning is now in effect for the western Gulf Coast—PETA reminds residents never leave dogs tethered outside or crated inside their homes and should take their animal companions with them if they have to evacuate.
Believe it or not, every time there’s a natural disaster, many dogs and other companion animals are left outside to fend for themselves and even left behind when humans evacuate. Dogs kept tethered will swim to exhaustion and drown—and there are tethered dogs everywhere. PETA’s Animal Rescue Team has witnessed firsthand the trauma that animals endure when left behind to face floodwaters and flying debris. During previous storms, we have found dogs dead. We have also found them up to their necks in water, unable to sit or lie down, and in almost-submerged crates inside houses and seen animals who have been flung around by high winds. And of course, animals are petrified in these kinds of weather conditions.
PETA has also released a natural disaster–preparedness PSA featuring Dean Winters. For more information, please visit PETA.org.
Cities that have been alerted to PETA’s tropical storm survival tips include Corpus Christi; Port O’Connor; Port Mansfield; Brownsville; Houston; Galveston, TX.
