Kinship Circle begins discussions with Iowa EOC/State Veterinary Response Coordinator. We are asked to coordinate volunteers in areas other than Cedar Rapids, as HSUS and UAN/EARS are already there. We contact Best Friends Rapid Response Team and ask Iowa officials to enlist them for water rescue. Iowa EOC (Emergency Operations Center) requests a certified water rescue team for “use in search and rescue operations in Louisa, Des Moines, Lee, Johnson or Linn counties...”

Within days, rescue operations are underway — with Kinship Circle emergency sheltering volunteers at Johnson County Fairgrounds in Iowa City, and Lee County Fairgrounds in Donnellson, Iowa.

Lee County Fairgrounds staging area, Donnellson, Iowa: The cats and dogs who come to Lee County are in very good condition or very poor condition. A cat brought in as one of the last rescues is covered in some sort of oily goop that mattes her entire coat from the shoulders down. Despite her terror, she’s ravenous, eating an entire can of wet food once safe in a cage.

Iowa officials report that over 10,000 acres of land has been underwater. Thousands of evacuated residents seek ways to put their lives back together. Some Oakville, IA residents go to Lee County Fairgrounds to report addresses where cats (mostly) were left during evacuations. As water levels recede, navigation by boat is treacherous. Rescue attempts move slowly. Most left-behind cats are frightened and hide by day. In accordance, rescue teams make preparations to do night search rescues...

They’re adrift from flooded hog farms, some still encased in crates. While 40,000 pigs are pre-evacuated, an estimated 4,000 (or more) die. Some who’d scramble atop levees are shot dead by officials concerned they’ll ruin sandbags. Many more drown. Early in this operation, Kinship Circle calls Farm Sanctuary, the nation’s leading farm animal protection organization, to ask if their Emergency Rescue Team can come to Iowa. KC volunteers assist Farm Sanctuary in initial rescues. Today, a coalition of Farm Sanctuary, International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), American Humane Association (AHA), and Animal Rescue League of Boston continue to recover pigs from levee systems...

BOB RUDE, 6/24/08: We arrive in Oakville around 7:00 am. We check out the area and notice a couple pigs. Farm Sanctuary is there and tells us they spent the night trying to catch pigs. They managed to get three by herding them to their trailer, but had no luck after. In the meantime Dan (Farm Sanctuary) and I hear a couple pigs in the underbrush. We devise a plan and then work at catching the 2 pigs. We manage to catch 1 on that attempt...

7/2/08: Farm Sanctuary’s emergency rescue team is currently on the ground in Oakville, Iowa saving pigs stranded in the Mississippi River floods and providing them with emergency care and temporary shelter... We now have 28 pigs in our custody. Many are in critical condition (suffering from injuries, pneumonia, third degree sunburns) and are receiving urgent care.

We continue to find more and more pigs still alive, surviving against all odds in fields, on levees, anywhere they can find refuge. After this tremendous demonstration of their will to live...they deserve peace and comfort in their lives. PLEASE HELP by providing an adoptive home for as many pigs as you can.

Many of the rescued pigs swam for their lives to escape deadly flood waters. They were stranded without food or water, injured, sick, frightened, and confused. These pigs need you to give them hope for the future and keep them safe from harm forever.

• Contact our Farm Animal Adoption Network: 607-583-2225 ext. 223
• Or email shelter@farmsanctuary.org
• Or visit us online at farmsanctuary.org/rescue/adoption.html
• You can also learn more about pig care at farmsanctuary.org/rescue/care.html

https://secure2.vegsource.com/farmsanc/fs/donate_erf_pigs08_alert.html
If you are unable to open your home to animals in need, please consider helping by donating now to our Emergency Rescue Fund which is already hard at work funding this critical rescue operation and providing aid to pigs and other farm animals in need.

From ruderanch@comcast.net — Bob Rude, Executive Director of Rude Ranch Animal Rescue, based in Harwood, MD spent a week in Lee County Iowa, working through Kinship Circle to rescue and aid the animal victims of the Midwest flooding. As he was preparing to pack up to head home on Thursday, a frantic call came in: A couple by the name of Tom Marterman and Jerri Shute were desperately trying to locate their 12 year old cat, Tessa.

Unfortunately, Tessa's house was flooded and destroyed in Oakville. Tom and Jerri were part of the mandatory evacuation from Oakville before the flood waters hit. Tom and Jerri only had about 30 minutes to prepare to leave. They managed to get the three family dogs and their bird in the car, but Tessa got scared and ran off.

Her family ended up camping in a church parking lot while they are trying to figure out what to do. They also kept trying to find Tessa. Tom even went back into town himself in a canoe but couldn't find her. Finally they called Lee County Fairgrounds and spoke to a volunteer from Animal Protection League of Southeast Iowa. They asked if an older cat with no tail and no teeth had come in... As luck would have it, she was there. Also luckily for Tessa, her family was along Bob's route to get back to Maryland.

Bob met up with Tessa's family in Louisa County. Both Tessa and her family were glad to see each other. Yesterday was Jerri's birthday, and she said seeing Tessa alive and well was the best birthday present!

For further information, contact Kathy at 410-798-9559
Rude Ranch Animal Rescue, www.ruderanch.org
Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) # 45379 / Maryland Charity Campaign # 4650