Animal welfare group seeks Army help in Taal rescue

MANILA, Philippines — Animal welfare group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is asking help from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to rescue surviving animals that were affected by the explosion of Taal Volcano on Sunday.

PETA animal rescue manager Jana Sevilla, who visited Taal Island yesterday, said that they need the help of the AFP in rescuing the surviving animals that are in grave danger due to the difficult situation in the area.

 Sevilla said that PETA is willing to shoulder all expenses needed to rescue the animals from the danger zones and ensure their safety. 

 “The situation is difficult. I was on Taal Island. It has many dead animals and smells of rotting flesh, but there are still animals there that need our help. We could only stay a short time, but we left food and water,” Sevilla said.

“The surviving animals on the island are in grave danger and we urgently need the military to help PETA’s rescue team and Taal’s residents access the island in large boats – at PETA’s expense and risk – in order to bring the animals to safety and give them the veterinary care they so desperately need,” she added.

?Taal Volcano exploded last Sunday, leaving thousands of families and animals affected by the heavy ashfall.

 Sevilla said that they were able to rescue some animals in Taal Island, “but not enough.” She vowed that PETA would continue rescuing surviving animals, feeding them, providing clean water and bringing them to a safer place as they are also at risk from the dangers caused by ashfall.

 With this, Sevilla has asked for dog and cat food donations to their office in Makati City and is asking vehicle-owners if they could lend their vehicles in their efforts to feed animals affected by the Taal Volcano explosion as the AFP is allegedly not allowing residents to evacuate with their pets.

 “As the Philippine military will not allow people to evacuate with their animal companions, we have been asking any willing vehicle-owners to help in this regard,” she said.