hello, is this on?

Just Vote!

Julie_J — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 18:04:21 GMT

countdown for Congolese Wildlife

Julie_J — Wed, 07 May 2008 14:57:46 GMT

This is an urgent appeal from the Mara Triangle in the Masai Mara, where post-election violence has seen a collapse in tourism. The Mara Conservancy, a non-profit, was entirely dependent upon park entrance fees paid by visitors to manage the Mara Triangle, and since the New Year we've had to suffer severe cutbacks in critical park operations. Working on a reduced budget has already had an impact on our effectiveness, and this is the first month since January that we've started with no money to carry on. On Thursday rangers caught 6 poachers who had killed 37 Thomson Gazelles, and last Sunday one of our rangers was shot and seriously injured when chasing cattle rustlers. The Big Cats in the park are also under threat since the collapse of the compensation scheme in January, which you can read more about this here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7372298.stm To read more about what I have written you can visit Kimojino's blog where it is also possible to make a donation, with 100% of your donation (minus only a small bank fee) going directly to support the work of the Mara Conservancy rangers: http://maratriangle.wildlifedirect.org If you have ever visited the Mara you'll know how important it is to preserve the animals in this incredible place, and if you have ever wanted to visit, then your support now is crucial. Please, help with what you can, and forward this email to everyone you know. Thank you for taking the time to read this, and please feel free to email me with any questions. All the best William Deed williamdeed@gmail.com The Mara Conservancy

Are bees our canary in the coal mine?

Julie_J — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 03:07:30 GMT

NEO-Nicitnoids – ever heard of ‘em? If you didn’t watch or tivo 60 Minutes tonite, you may find your eyes glazing over with what I am about to blog here. But trust me when I say it will affect every one of us next year…… or sooner. I was unaware that beekeepers actually rent out their bee colonies to other farmers. They do this when a crop is in bloom and the farmer knows that his produce will not mature unless those blooms are pollinated. Case in point, one pumpkin farmer who has 300 acres of them ready to grow – estimating that each flower requires 30 bee visits in order to determine whether that pumpkin bud withers and dies off or if it grows to fulfill its Halloween destiny. That's alot of work! That's right - if Bees don't pollinate - we dont' eat. Period. They've already banned the use of NEO-Nicitnoids in France. We need to catch up. Without re-creating the entire 20 minute segment that aired tonight, let me reduce it to this: One third of the largest bee colony in the U.S. has gone missing, as in, left their hive, their larvae, their honey. One Third of the colony. And thusfar what the experts are guessing is the main reason is – poor health, stress and memory loss. What’s the primary cause? Experts are puzzled, but agree that most likely the use of a new super pesticide NEO-Nicitnoids, used in golf courses (and other applications, including domestic) Bayer is the manufacturer of this new chemical cocktail with no regard for the ecosystem. Know what happens if the bees keep dying off and disappearing (and soon)? No more fruit, nuts, vegetables ------ not even flowers. Did I mention “soon”? This nasty and unnecessary chemical destroys a bee’s nervous system and memory. Bees require a good, working memory in order to: A. come home B. bring their hive-mates back to flowers they have found (and in turn pollinate them). Should we care? We will when we go to the grocer in a year or two and all they have is shitty looking produce and less of what we like to buy from them. Think you can just grow your own? Think again --- you need bees too, even in your backyard. And this is certainly not the ONLY petrochemical that is being sprayed into the environment - plenty are sprayed on the fruits and vegetable than many people are eating every day! What can we do? If you find yourself receiving an e-mail from some organization who gives a shit about all this – RESPOND. If someone is collecting signatures in front of Whole Foods (or anywhere else) demanding that Congress take action – Sign that petition. Talk about it – knowledge is power. And of course the changing and erratic, extreme weather patterns are contributing to their (bees) demise as well. And BUY ORGANIC - for goodness sake, Trader Joe's will tell you that they base what products they carry and which they discontinue, based on what their customers buy the most of. Vote every time you go to any grocery store - buy the organic product. Your body will thank you for it. ......and so might the bees that are still left. Okay, sorry if this sounds preachy – but it’s no time to turn a blind eye.

Smokey skies

Julie_J — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 18:28:02 GMT

I am guessing those who are MOST affected by these fires (evacuated) are not posting on tribe just now. Having been twice in my own life evacuated from Southern California Fires - I know how lucky I am not to have lost anything to the flames, I know the feeling of standing in your home and having to choose what is important enough to take in your car. Pets, pictures, important documents - those are obvious. But the rest? I remember thinking that there was nothing at all I could think of in that moment that I would miss. Now, as I write from Culver City, having smelled the smoke since Sunday morning, the sky now a constant dirty yellow, I am having some trouble breathing. No, I do not have asthma. But I did drive into Santa Monica (closer to Malibu) yesterday for about an hour and my throat has been hurting since then. Today I am keeping the windows shut - maybe less smokie air inside the house this way (?) Complaining? Not at all! Just writing my own "report" of sorts on the conditions from here - quite a distance from the centers of these on-going fires that are scattered across the southland. For anyone reading this who is not from Southern California, here's a little perspective. Here are the distances of the fires from where I live: 129 miles - San Diego fire 20 miles - Malibu fire 40 miles - Santa Clarita fire 95 miles - Arrowhead fire For any of us who are not living in San Diego area today, it's difficult to imagine those darkened skies, filled with falling ash, the sun just a red disc behind the billowing, thick clouds. There's good reason so many of the reporters on television are wearing goggles and surgical/paint masks. I am fortunate to be this far away - I feel such gratitude to all those fire fighters on the ground, risking their lives to save people's homes. I appreciate the many people involved in evacuating and caring for the large animals in these areas. It is overwhelming to imagine the losses.

The Whale

Julie_J — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 21:57:59 GMT

The Whale If you read the front page story of the SF Chronicle in 2005, you would have read about a female humpback whale who had become entangled in a spider web of crab traps and lines. She was weighted down by hundreds of pounds of traps that caused her to struggle to stay afloat. She also had hundreds of yards of line rope wrapped around her body, her tail, her torso, a line tugging in her mouth. A fisherman spotted her just east of the Farralone Islands (outside the Golden Gate ) and radioed an environmental group for help. Within a few hours, the rescue team arrived and determined that she was so bad off, the only way to save her was to dive in and untangle her... One slap of the tail could kill a rescuer. They worked for hours with curved knives and eventually freed her. When she was free, the divers say she swam in what seemed like joyous circles. She then came back to each and every diver, one at a time, and nudged them,pushed gently around-she thanked them. Some said it was the most incredibly beautiful experience of their lives. The guy who cut the rope out of her mouth says her eye was following him the whole time, and he will never be the same. May you, and all those you love, be so blessed and fortunate to be surrounded by people who will help you get untangled from the things that are binding you. And, may you always know the joy of giving and receiving gratitude. I pass this on to you, my friends, in the same spirit.

He looked kindof like this:

Julie_J — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 06:02:40 GMT

(well,.........only ALOT worse!) The very wise mother of a friend of mine indirectly saved the life of a doggie today. My friend had told me a while ago that her mom keeps a bag of doggie treats and a leash in her car (I have now added a bowl to that short list). This is for the purpose of approaching and catching any stray dogs she finds in her travels. How many times have you been driving along somewhere and noticed a dog limping (or running) along, clearly distressed, lost and homeless? Not sure what to do to help, uncertain of how to approach the animal......perhaps you drive on, hoping that someone else does something for them. It's a sickening feeling. Now, I felt empowered! The very next day I stopped at the 99 cent store and purchased a bag of chicken jerky and a cloth leash that could be looped back into itself, creating a "collar". Today, I was grateful that I had done so. I had taken a sort of side-street on my way to an appointment in Canoga Park and saw this dog just walking along at a brisk pace, no human around him. I kept an eye on him for about a block and it was clear that he was not heading anywhere in particular and that he had been on the streets for some time - maybe since July 4th when so many dogs get panicked. I attempted several times for the next 4 blocks to pull my car ahead of his trajectory, offer a doggie treat to him - all to no avail. He couldn't have been less interested. Often when an animal is frightened or starving, they won't respond to food. I had no bowl and for once there was no bottle of water in my car. Damn. I began calling animal shelters on my cell, while I drove along with him. One shelter transfered me to another in the local district and I wound up on hold for the next 20 minutes. Meanwhile, I saw that this dog's path was leading towards a busy street ahead. Thankfully, he took a turn at the corner, now walking at a fast pace along a city street. It became increasingly clear that this dog had been at this for days and knew nothing of this neighborhood. The fur on his hind legs was matted and his coat disheveled. I realized that in two more blocks he was going to hit a MAJOR interesection - Canoga Avenue and Roscoe. Again, I attempted to attract his attention with a treat - again he raced on by. I wished I had a bowl of water to tempt him! Frustrated and knowing he was freaked out - I knew I couldn't approach him with the leash - first of all he was moving too quickly - on occasion stumbling with, perhaps a bad ankle. I was beside myself trying to keep pace with him as he approached the intersection! It was all I could do to try to "block" traffic with my own car - I turned on my flashers and prayed! Unbelievably he got a green light!!!! It was crystal clear to me that he had no intention of stopping if the light had not been in his favor. The doggie angels had listened to my prayers! Angry motorists honked at me since he did not clear the intersection before the light changed. Although, it was only a matter of time till his luck would run out and he would approach an intersection where the light was red!! But knowing how unaware of traffic he was - I knew the chances that he's been struck by a car was a good possibility. Trying to grab his body to lift him into my car might end up hurting a broken rib or hip. I was so frustrated! Okay, still on hold with animal control (yup) I was now passing Costco and Home Depot. There were day laborers lined up along the sidewalk watching me with amusement. I threw a treat to one of them and yelled "el pero, por favor" and somehow they figured out what was needed. 4 of them surrounded him and blessedly he halted! I reached into my backseat for the leash I had bought 6 months earlier and ripped open the package - tossing it out the window to them. They got it around his neck without any teeth being bared (whew!) and then it was time to get him into my car. It wasn't as simple as it seemed it would be - but eventually they sort of shoved him up into my SUV back seat. He didnt' growl, he seemed okay and I figured that I was going to miss my appointment for sure now because I had to locate a shelter. I pulled into the Costco parking lot and as I was about to dial information for a shelter in the area.......a girl pulled up beside me and asked through her rolled down window , "Are you going to take that dog to a shelter?". "Yes, when I find out where one is", I answered her. "I work at the animal rescue and I'm on my way there now - I can take him" <sound of trumpets, heavenly choir sounds filling the air> I nearly burst into tears - the past half hour had been stressful to say the least, and I was overcome with relief! The two of us then struggled to get him OUT of my car - and (she later felt REALLY BAD about this!) he wound up falling onto the asphalt on his face. He either couldn't maneuver his legs or maybe was partially blind. With some additional effort we finally got him into her backseat - examined his collar for a tag (no luck) and both hoped he had a micro-chip so his owners could be located. Sadly and as was to be expected, we could feel that he was emaciated. And this had once been a beautiful animal! So, apart from sharing a story that hopefully has a happy ending for this dog - I wanted to pass along the wisdom from my friend's mom. Keep a leash and doggie treats in your car.....and a bowl. You may need them some day. Oh, and micro-chip your pets. Please. Blessings. :~D

Darfur didn't go away -

Julie_J — Tue, 15 May 2007 00:55:43 GMT

Just because we weren't paying attention to the Sudan this week, just because it was Mother's Day or because I didn't take the right sleeping bag to LIB and was too cold and wasn't thinking about the genocide, just because college students are in the "finals crunch", just because the race for President had some new additions or just because we raised $1,500 at Tribal Caravan for SAVEDARFUR.ORG and Doctors Without Borders doesn't mean that assholes there have stopped slaughtering, have stopped turning children into orphans. It occured to me that perhaps we raised enough money to pay for one medical worker to fly all the way to Africa - it's a long trip. Maybe one plane ticket. I wonder if the airlines give special fares to people going to volunteer there. It's hard to pay attention to things we cannot see, or to pay attention to people we don't know, who are so far away. I wish it would be over.

The Audacity of Hope

Julie_J — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 04:41:41 GMT

I parrot the title of Obama's new book, because it expresses my feelings about this one thing. The people of Darfur have had an abomination committed against them as a people FOR YEARS (over 400,00 dead) and now even some humanitarian organizations have withdrawn because the Janjaweed are SO outrageous, that they slaughter even those workers who have come to give aide to the 2 million refugees depending on them, who suffer daily at the hands of such atrocities of their genocide. Men slaughtered, women raped and children stolen, or forced to spend the night huddled behind fences in an attempt NOT to be forced into servitude by these monsters. It goes without saying that our own troupes' time and efforts would be far better spent in defense of these people in the Sudan than in some other parts of the world. As the producers of Tribal Caravan, we will be doing what small part we can, along with the help of our generous vendors who provide their goods for raffling, to raise money to send to help relieve some tiny moment of suffering that is being dealt to these innocent survivors. Please come to our festival prepared - prepared to purchase an obscene amount of raffle tickets, in order to be a part of sending financial assistance to the Darfur refugees. They deserve our help, our assistance, our attention. We can no longer pretend that we do not know. For more information, log on to: www.SaveDarfur.org. God Bless! :~D

"The 94 " - Saving room in my heart

Julie_J — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 04:12:53 GMT

okay, by now, y'all think I am a certifiable Oprah fanatic. Whatevah - TIVO yoself! This woman born poor and black in America - no indoor plumbing- has chosen to create a University to Educate selected African girls, mostly who have been orphaned due to AIDS. But poor as they are, THEY recognize the value of education. Miss "O" wants to facilitate the female LEADERS of the next generation in that dark continent. Speaking recently she said that ..."God had not given " her her own children, so because She was saving room in Oprah's heart for these 94 girls who have been hand picked to be the first students at this unique campus....The 94. Goddess Bless You, Miss Oprah!

The Power of "O" (oh)

Julie_J — Thu, 26 Jan 2006 09:36:01 GMT

Oprah ran a show on the topic of Human Trafficking for the sex trade. The show focused mostly on Southeast Asia, but the problem is international. Very young girls and even some boys are kidnapped or, in some extremely poor villages, even purchased from their parents by the flesh trade who pander to pedophiles. Pimps can make upwards of $600,000 per year and routinely rape and beat their girls. But they are never prosecuted for these assaults, because there is an unspoken belief among some law enforcement that these girls are choosing this lifestyle. That show ran on Nov. 2, 2005, and at the end of the show, Oprah asked viewers to write 3 letters, one to each of their State’s representatives in Washington, urging them to put in effect a law that would enforce conviction of the perpetrators of this heinous peddlers of children. This month, less than 90 days after that show aired, the president signed in a bill that had been stalled for 2 years. This bill enforces action to eradicate this crime and also provides care and housing for those children who are rescued from the brothels wherein they have been enslaved for the sexual pleasure of pedophiles. In less than 90 days. That's the power of a democratic society when all of its voters come together for a cause. Govenment CAN be used for positive action and change.

Changing the way things are

Julie_J — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 06:12:42 GMT

I LOVE it that the most powerful and influential woman in the United States and therefore the world was born in Mississippi, a poor black girl in a home with no indoor plumbing. She was molested at the age of 4 and raped when she was 9 years old. She was overweight for many years and remains single (by choice) to this day. She is a world class philantropist, fighting for children's and women's right in Africa, and overcoming what many American women find the most difficult battle of all.........being overweight. Many are those who have begged her to run for President (no lie!). Finally, last week, Oprah has chosen a political mission in this country and vowed to "make it so". Having been a victim herself, she became enraged over the repeated incidents of men with criminal records being put back on the street to victimize children once again. Last week she had an hour long show dedicated to identifying, exposing and capturing the country's most wanted child molesters and rapists. She did profiles of many, showed photographs of more. And then she offered a $100,000 check to anyone who identified any one of the criminals to the FBI's attention to be brought to justice. Within 48 hours, two of the men shown on her show were behind bars...one had been driving a taxi in Belize! Today I watched a show from last week wherein two women came on the show to receive their checks. And then Oprah did it.....she vowed to make it her "mission in life to change the laws State by State" to end the release of these pedifiles, for good. Oprah, honey, you ROCK! To say that I admire you falls short. In any case, we can all be grateful that someone like her is using their immeasureable influence in the world to do such a thing as this...to help in a very effective way to protect the children of our friends, of our relatives, of our neighborhoods from being assaulted, from having their innocence stolen. Wouldn't it be nice if someone like, say, the First Lady chose to make such a difference in the world? So, that's what I wanted to say. Peace

The Fourth time was......

Julie_J — Tue, 11 Oct 2005 22:34:56 GMT

The Fourth time was......difficult I hadn't noticed the scratches on my chest and torso until I was in the shower. It was the throbbing puncture wound on my left tricept that had all of my attention. Tonight had been…''..well, sadly chaotic. It was no one's fault really, it was just the timing and the place. Not much we could do about it but deal with it. But I was now exhausted and aching and needed my bed, once I steamed off every trace of what had happened....... It began with a mid-morning e-mail. "Today was scheduled D day for the remaining Gonzales animals. Bobby has worked all night to get a plane off the ground today. There are 86 dogs and 20 cats at the airport boarding a plane as I write this email. They are anticipated to arrive at LAX today sometime between 3 and 5p.m. This is not ideal but we are doing everything we can to save these animals. We have 44 dogs and 20 cats unaccounted for at this time. We need 2 things - volunteers to come and help process these animals, transport them to boarding facilities and rescue groups to take on a dog or cat or two. If you are able to volunteer later today to help or take an animal, please let me know. Thanks! Kim Finger Coordinator, Rescue for Ruffugees " Hey, what can you do, these people went down to Louisiana where there is no plumbing and they are sleeping on concrete and go out every day to find people's pets that are trapped. I spoke to one girl who told me that in the morning they had found a dog who was STILL trapped in an attic! How many weeks has it been? And one cat was stuck inside a dumpster, couldn't lift the heavy lid. How did they even find it? The first dog off was mine, a small, skinny, young and sweet little German Shepard mix. He had thrown up inside of his cage, which he had been in since well before the 5 a.m. take off time, over 12 hours ago. Of course he had probably never been on an airplane before. Then to add to the stress, they had to put down in El Paso. Two take-offs, two landings…''.plus a plane full of loudly barking, freaked out dogs, not to mention the 20 cats. With all the jostling of the cage, being off-loaded from the plane onto the truck, then onto the loading dock of the warehouse we were sharing with our donor company, the puke had covered the entire bottom, and his paws and his tail. I didn't mind that it was all over my legs now, as I put a leash on him to take him walkies. He was too freaked out to drink water at first. He found a palm tree and peed, then we walked for a while till he found a little patch of grass to poop on. (Yup, I had my poop bag with me). He eventually warmed to the idea of doggie treats and I got him to drink some water. I am usually a dog handler, since that’s what they need the most of. We had over an hour to wait until the administrative stuff to process the animals arrived and was set up, and until the 2 vets and several vet-techs got there. So we walked some more. “Orleans”, as one man decided to name the puppy, finally got grounded and began to realize that if he jumped up on people, they would pet and feed him.....or perhaps he was just checking to see if anyone was his owner. When we walked up and down the parking lots of the airport perimeter, he wore me out with the tugging on the leash. This was my fourth time and now I know that when they get off, they are frantically searching for "home", sniffing their way along the asphalt, looking for anything that smells familiar. Eventually we got processed, vet-checked, Advantaged, heartworm tested (negative, yeah!!) and a photo-op to be put on the internet, in the hopes of finding his owners. More volunteers had arrived and many dogs were waiting in line so I turned my attention to the cats since I had noticed their 20 tiny cages lined up on the warehouse floor, side by side, still unattended. The second vet had arrived and I was told she was kinda crabby. It was clear no one was photographing the cats and it didn't seem they had any paperwork yet, to accompany them to their various rescue groups. I spoke to the woman I now recognized from all the other times as the main photographer and mentioned to her that we now had the feline situation to deal with. She offered me one of her assistants who came along while I found a "scribe" (person with a clip-board and a pen who writes a description of the animal and whatever other data is important) "I need a scribe" I called out in the direction of their area. A woman came forward and I told her to get 20 forms and to follow me. We found a stall in the women's poorly lit bathroom and decided this was the quietest and ONLY enclosed space where we could extricate these kitties to take their pictures. One of the rescue workers warned me that they were all covered in urine since their was no room for a litter box in their tiny cages, nor water bowls for that matter. There wasn't much we could do about the litter box, and the water would have to come a bit later. Cats, unlike dogs, cannot be taken out on a leash for a walk. Right now I wanted them processed so they could get on the road to their foster families. One woman had driven for 3 hours up from San Diego and was going to take 8 with her. Other recuers had come from Santa Paula and Santa Clarita. Unfortunately we needed to get them processed before the animals could be handed off to foster care. Well, about the third kitty I pulled out to photograph, a big orange and white kind of a "mutt", really smelled bad so I thought I would take a shot at rinsing off his rear end and tail in the sink. Forgetting for a moment that many of these animals are now terrified of water, I went ahead and rinsed him, and it was going well, until............... the girl with the camera decided to be "helpful" and get some paper towels from the dispenser, which was located about 9 inches from the cat's head. It was the kind of dispenser that you have to push a lever down repeatedly to extract the paper. They are extremely noisy. I now think that this kitty had been inside of a hurricane torn house, rather than a flooded house. I tried to hold onto him, as I asked her to stop, but it was too late. He was in a panic and wanted to get the hell away from this racket. He had had enough! At first I just felt some scratching on my forearm. I could deal with that, I expected it. But as he and I struggled and I hugged him closer, he tore his way up my arm and my elbow was now bleeding and it wasn't over quite yet. With his last burst of stressed out "I am fed up with all this houses being shattered, trees being ripped from the ground, trucks being thrown around like toys, riding in an airplane noise and dogs barking and the indignity of peeing on myself and being slammed around" energy, he dug his claws into my tricept and pushed off! I was able to corral him in the corner of the stall and get his picture taken and put him back in his cage. But my arm was throbbing and aching and I could not see the damage very well, as it was on the backside. I went to the vet-tech helpers and got some rubbing alcohol and a few band-aids. The night continued, we processed all 20 cats, had to move them around a few more times in order to dodge the forklifts that were loading pallets everywhere, gave as many water as we could before they got piled into their respective SUVs and station wagons to drive several more hours to where they would be boarded for 30 days before being adopted out. This is in order to give the owners a chance to find them on the website. One woman has offered to pay for printouts of ALL the photos to be sent to shelters and libraries for those who do not have internet access. Today my injury actually looks worse than I had thought....it looks as bad as it feels and is now surrounded with bruising the size of a grapefruit. But I know it is nothing compared to what all those animals, and the ones still trapped inside of houses and closets and under beds as I write this, and as you read this, are suffering with. It is nothing compared to that. God Bless the beasts.

One last time....perhaps

Julie_J — Sat, 08 Oct 2005 07:36:42 GMT

Today we received what might be the last load of rescued pets from the hurrcane torn states. These were from New Orleans. The trucks, in a convoy of two large motor homes, two large pick up trucks and a van pulling a trailer with a huge water tank, were 3 hours delayed, partly for a flat tire, partly because they got pulled over for speeding somewhere near L.A. Previosuly I had handled dogs. Today I got to take care of two little kitties, about 5 months old. They were most likely sisters and probably too young to have realized just how grave of a trauma they had lived through. I got to shepard these two babies through the "receiving" process: Get assigned their numbers, Vet exam, weigh in, scan for microchip, test for heartworm, give them microchips and collars with tags, photograghs for PetFinders, more paperwork, then find the rescue group who will take them to their foster homes until their owners can be found. While we waited, two women who had been down in New Orleans for weeks, sleeping on concrete, not bathing, going from house to house listening fro barks or the ocassional meow..........they said it was 95 degrees and 100% humidity! The dogs take it the hardest...........they look like war veterans. Their faces break your heart. THeir skinny tired, worn bodies, tails between their legs, some frantic to sniff their way home....but then ocassionally you hold out a doggie treat and they a tail wags for a second. I was glad to have kitties today. I think I will sleep better tonight than I did the first time when we got 129 off of a plane, filthy, starving, stinking, terrified........ The women told about how some of the owners would find a way to contact rescue groups and give them their address and ask them to find their pets for them. Some of the dogs just can't be caught, so they leave them some food and water and spray paint the date on the house. I hope all of those that came in today sleep a little better tonight after such a long trip, safe for a while in their foster homes.

Rescued Katrina Pets arrive in L.A.

Julie_J — Wed, 21 Sep 2005 14:47:27 GMT

A truly amazing woman named Kim Fingers, of Much Love Animal Rescue,(http://www.rescueforruffugees.blogspot.com/) organized planes to bring rescued animals to Los Angeles yesterday. The plane that had left the day before had been fired on by snipers. There have been 3 previous planes which went to San Francisco. We waited here for an entire week for a plane to come our way. Rescue groups stood by with cages, veterinarians and Foster Homes for 30 days minimum. The hope is to reunite all pets with their original owners. ALL of this has been paid for with private funding. The Torrance Centinela Feed Warehouse allowed us to use their facility as a receiving dock. Purina donated 2 tons (or was it 20?) of pet food. I cannot convey what it felt like to be blessed enough to take part in the unloading of these animals, (dogs and cats) many of whom were very , very thin, dehydrated, most of them confused, depressed, stressed, nearly all were filthy from the floodwaters..............but it felt SO INCREDIBLE to be able to be a small part of bringing them to a place where they could receive medical care, a bath, a warm home and someone to give them love. What I experienced from several of the dogs I handled was that they were anxious to sniff their way to wherever "home" was for them...not realizing just how far their journey had taken them. Hopefully, for many of them, it will end with them being taken back to Louisana and Mississippi. One thing is for SURE: whether or not you believe in collars and tags for your pet, PLEASE get a microchip put into your pet. It takes only a minute, next time you are at the vet (or call around to see when the next microchip clinic is happening at your local shelter). THis chip is the size of a grain of rice, is injected with a syringe, and can help identify your pet and tell resucers where to find you. Below are several excerpts from the ongoing blog that chronicled these efforts: Sadly, I received a first hand report from Andrea Devenow, a Much Love volunteer who just returned from Louisiana. Unfortunately, all of the information we have heard about the horrible conditions of the animals is true. She witnessed Rottie Rescue being turned away from the Lamar Dixon Epo Center after they offered to take all of the rotts to their rescue group. Likewise, she saw 10 vet techs be turned away and told they could not be of help although some of the dogs are so severely dehydrated that they cannot stand up and need IV drips that they techs could have provided He has two C 130's waiting for animals to transport and he cannot get animals. There are difficulties with transporting the animals from the shelters and makeshift camps because New Orleans is seizing the trucks for storgage. He is also having difficulty getting HSUS and SPCA to release these animals. Just spoke to Nedra Abramson who works at Helen Woodward Animal Center. They have a plane ready in Gulf Port, Mississippi. These are all Hurricane Katrina victims either from Mississippi or trucked in from Louisiana. There is no lock down in Mississippi and the dogs are ready to go. The hold up is finding ventilated transport vehicles to get the dogs from the shelter to the airport. FEMA has apparently confiscated all such vehicles so they are finding appropriate trucks in the area to use. THE PLANES ARE FUELED AND READY TO FLY, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ANIMAL RESCUES ARE READY TO FOSTER THEM BUT YET WHERE ARE THE HURRICANE KATRINA ANIMALS? Thirty animal rescue groups in Southern California have joined forces to save dogs stranded in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. "We have rescue groups on alert, hundreds of volunteers on standby and nearly 1000 individuals who are ready to foster Hurricane Katrina dogs; we just need them to arrive!" says Dr. Kim Finger of Much Love Animal Rescue, the Los Angeles animal rescue group coordinating the arrival of the dogs in L.A. The shelter lockdown in Louisiana has stalled the flight but the rescues remain positive that it will be lifted shortly and the dogs will be flown to safety here in Los Angeles. "Our goal is to help these poor pups in need. Bringing dogs to Los Angeles frees up necessary shelter space in Louisiana for the hundreds of dogs still being found roaming the streets every day" says Finger.

Katrina Relief

Julie_J — Wed, 07 Sep 2005 04:02:54 GMT

I just got back from the Van Nuys airport area where there were people there the past few days voluteering to sort donated items, pack them up on pallettes and then send trucks to the southern states. It was so high, just working with the wonderful people who would volunteer their time......some younger boys, elderly people, a hearing impaired couple, college guys, moms.....just the sweetest bunch of folks who wanted to do something to help. And you wouldn't believe what people were bringing!!!!!!! Medical supplies, pet food, cages, cribs, walkers, diapers, games, school supplies, toiletries, cell phones and clothing and food........and some of the stuff was brand new! And then the sun went down and the beautiful moon came up...I tell you, I felt so lucky to be able to just be a part of sending some love to the many victims who are spread all the heck over the darned place. I felt so fortunate to be there ;-)