Shelter and Vet Services Needed for Hurricane Katrina’s Equine Refugees

Place Your Facility on the USEF Hurricane Equine Relief List

(Lexington, KY) – As Americans view the newscasts of the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina it is clear that both humans and animals require immediate emergency relief from not only official agencies but from the generosity of individuals.

If you have a facility or pasture which you can offer to house refugee horses and ponies, victims of Hurricane Katrina, please email your name, address, phone number and email address to kcadams@usef.org , or at 859-225-6993, (please email if at all possible as we expect a heavy load of calls.) If you can volunteer veterinary services please submit your contact information. The USEF is posting a listing by state of these facilities and services for horses and ponies on our website. The list will be accessed by going to www.usef.org, on the right side of the homepage click on Hurricane Katrina Equine Relief. It is expected to be operational by tonight, August 31st.

We urge the participation of anyone who has the space, licensed veterinary expertise and tenderness of heart to help these equine refugees.

Here’s another one:

Habitat for Horses/Lone Start Equine Rescue is organizing a massive relief and rescue effort to help the equines of southern Louisiana after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina forced millions to evacuate. A large number of horses, mules and donkeys are now in danger of starvation, injury and death if relief efforts are not immediately taken. FEMA and the USDA are now in control of the areas most devastated by the hurricane. As quickly as they allow, our emergency relief efforts will start

Volunteers from Texas and Oklahoma will gather at a central staging area and proceed to the designated sites in Louisiana. From that point, trained rescue volunteers will proceed to any location where horses have been spotted and attempt to extricate and transport them to safety, where they will receive medical care from the Louisiana State Veterinarian Office. All efforts will be made to contact the owners. If contact cannot be made, the animals will be transported to another location for recovery.

Habitat for Horses/Lone Start Equine Rescue will operate under the guidance and control of FEMA and the USDA during this operation. This operation is an all-volunteer effort, funded by donations from individuals, companies and organizations around the United States. Individuals with equine experience may join the organization and aid in the relief efforts.

Financial donations are needed to help fund this massive undertaking. Estimates range from several hundred to several thousand horses that are currently lost, injured or in danger. Hay and feed will be needed in large quantities, plus medical supplies such as bandages and antiseptics. Trailers, temporary equine fencing, tarps, buckets new lead ropes and halters are also needed.

Donations of supplies can be made by calling Rose Westover, Emergency Evacuation Coordinator
Habitat for Horses/Lone Star Equine Rescue, Inc. at 713-467-3444 / 713-594-1177 . Her email address is rose@wtshouston.net

Financial donations may be made online at either http://www.lser.org/disasterrelief.htm or
http://www.habitatforhorses.org/getinvolved/donatenow.html

Donations can be mailed to Habitat for Horses/Lone Star Equine Rescue, P.O. Box 213, Hitchcock, TX 77563

Habitat for Horses/Lone Star Equine Rescue is a 501.c.3 nonprofit covering bother Texas and Oklahoma with around 1,000 dedicated members. We provide equine rescue services to law enforcement agencies throughout the state of Texas, an active equine adoption program, an equine education center and equine-assisted services to youths and adults. For more information, contact Jerry Finch, President, HfH/LSER, 409-935-0277

Here’s one more:

If you can foster a horse from Louisiana please contact Debra at
hopefulhaven@yahoo.com, she is president of the Louisiana veterinary horse rescue and is trying to line up homes for horses they will have coming in if you have any room please contact her and help out if you can.