Petside Items: Animals Asia from Guest Blogger Jo Singer

On Monday, May 12, at approximately 2:30 PM, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake on the Richter scale hit China's Sichuan province, a mountainous region in Western China. Chengdu was the hardest-hit area. Hampered by the overwhelming destruction and lack of equipment, rescue efforts were difficult. With thousands of people killed, 18,000 still missing and homes, schools and office buildings destroyed, the process of rebuilding the area will be lengthy and arduous.

When an overwhelming natural disaster strikes, our hearts and prayers go out to the people affected. In need of shelter, food and clothing, organizations around the world rush to their aid. At the same time, people who love animals immediately become concerned for the welfare of animals also impacted by the event. As most of you are aware, shortly after hurricane Katrina struck, many animal welfare groups quickly became involved in the effort to save animals' lives, and provide veterinary care, shelter, food and foster homes. Their goal was to return them to families whenever possible.

Animals Asia, a Hong-Kong based government- registered animal welfare charity, whose mission in part is to improve the lives of all animals in Asia, responded immediately. To help animals in crisis created by the earthquake, they established a receiving station through a local vet clinic in Dujiangyiang. They created a hotline to assist pet owners, offering them the opportunity to provide care for their cats and dogs while they were in the process of relocating.

Animals Asia was spurred to action upon learning the authorities in Dujiangyiang planned to cull all dogs for fear of spreading disease. As of today, the group has rescued over 90 dogs and 3 cats , sending some them to an animal shelter and the others to their own rescue center.

Cool fact: You can also get involved and participate by donating to the organization. Donations are tax deductible in the UK, USA, Germany and Australia.