Ten days later, while distributing veterinary care and supplies, the responders from Humane World for Animals found Coni’s family in a city shelter. Although their home was destroyed, the family of 14 was together and safe. They worried about being expelled due to their animals, but the responders reassured them and enlisted their help. The family became unofficial ambassadors, assisting with essential items like pet ID tags, cat litter and litter boxes, leashes and collars, toys, and food.
“They were so connected to their animals,” says Daniela Sanchez, director of our team in Chile. “Their calm came from their animals.”
Sanchez arrived in south-central Chile after the fires, along with Felipe Márquez, Humane World for Animals program manager for disaster response in Latin America, and staff from Costa Rica and Guatemala. They collaborated with local municipalities and groups, hiring a veterinarian to provide medical care to shelter pets and free-roaming animals, many of whom were injured by vehicles or attacks from other animals.
