ifaw helps transport animal survivors of Hurricane Dorian to the US to find new homes

Animal survivors of Hurricane Dorian are one-step closer to finding their forever homes thanks to IFAW’s disaster response team.

On Sunday, September 1st, Category 5 Hurricane Dorian devastated the islands of the Bahamas and left thousands of shelter animals in need of rescue and veterinary care. Seventy-one dogs and eighty-six cats at the Grand Bahama Humane Society survived the hurricane’s path and urgently required relief from the wreckage.

Teaming up with organizations including GreaterGood.org and Wings of Rescue, IFAW organized transportation off the island for the surviving animals. With funding from the Andrew Sabin Family Foundation, the team arranged a flight to transport the animals from Freeport, Grand Bahama to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

This evening, local shelter staff greeted the animals as the plane safely landed in Fort Lauderdale. The dogs will be taken to HALO Rescue in Sebastian, Florida, while the cats will continue onwards to St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center in Madison, New Jersey to undergo health assessments before beginning the process of finding new homes. After enduring this natural disaster, these animals are now out of harm’s way and will soon be available for adoption by the general public.

Over the next week, IFAW’s animal rescue operations will continue in Abaco and Grand Bahama. The team is currently responding to requests for missing animals and will continue efforts to reunite owners with their missing pets.

To report a lost or found animal, email Doriananimalrelief@gmail.com or WhatsApp text the DAR hotline at 242-427-7729.