When the earth shook in Venezuela, buildings fell in seconds.
Families ran for their lives.
And dogs and cats were left trapped in the rubble.
Some are buried under broken concrete.
Some are limping through ruined streets.
Some are crying out from collapsed homes, terrified, injured and alone.
This is the hidden suffering after disaster.
Credit: drgabrielhusband (Instagram user)
On June 24, two massive earthquakes – magnitude 7.5 and 7.2 – struck Venezuela just seconds apart. It is the country’s deadliest earthquake in more than a century. 3,500 people have died, tens of thousands of buildings lie in ruins, and more than 1,000 aftershocks have kept survivors – human and animal – in a state of terror. Pets are trapped inside collapsed homes. Strays are injured, displaced and desperate.
For dogs and cats, the nightmare did not end when the shaking stopped.
They are still trapped.
Still injured.
Still hungry.
Still searching for water, safety and the people they love.
We are helping local organization Red de Apoyo Canino, whose team is already on the ground helping animals affected by this tragedy.
We have already rushed emergency funding to the disaster zone – and it is already at work, putting food in empty stomachs, delivering clean water and getting injured animals the urgent veterinary care they need to survive. But the crisis is far from over. Our partner has been inundated with calls for help – far more than their small team can answer alone. And now there is a desperate new need: with aftershocks still shaking the region, terrified dogs and cats – many of whom lost their homes and the families who loved them – are roaming loose through the wreckage, too frightened to be caught by hand. Rescuers urgently need traps and cages to capture these animals safely, and transport to get the injured to trusted veterinarians in time.
Time is still of the essence. Every hour that passes, more animals slip beyond reach.
The worst shaking may have passed, but the suffering is far from over.
Credit: Relampago Venezuela
Your donation today will have an immediate, lifesaving impact. It will deliver food and clean water to hungry animals, provide the traps and cages rescuers so desperately need, fund transport and urgent veterinary care for the injured, and bring vulnerable animals into safety before they disappear in the chaos. When everything has come to a standstill, your gift is the difference between suffering and survival.
Please do not let these animals become the forgotten victims of this disaster.
Right now, somewhere in the ruins, a dog may still be trapped and waiting.
A cat may still be hiding in fear under collapsed debris.
An injured animal may still be alive only because help has not yet reached it.
Credit: proteccioncivilmcb (Instagram user)
Please donate the maximum amount possible right now. Your gift goes to work immediately – feeding, rescuing and treating animals whose survival depends on what you do next.
