“Assembly of the family: Chilean wildfire victims express hope for missing animals News about the climate catastrophe.
Chile’s VIANA DEL MAR An empty cat carrier is beside 27-year-old Felipe Gajardo as he sits in the hallway of a quiet school in the seaside resort of Viana del Mar. The walls around it are covered in dozens of flyers featuring images of animals that are missing.
José Bernardo O’Higgins, libertador During this time of year, schools are often closed for summer break, which in Chile lasts from December to February.
However, the school is not vacant this year. Instead, veterinarians are using the school’s classrooms to erect a makeshift clinic for animals hurt in the nation’s devastating wildfires, leaving them a flurry of activity.
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Over 130 individuals have passed away inIt was dubbed the nation’s “worst tragedy” by President Gabriel Bork since an earthquake in 2010 claimed more than 500 lives. According to the UN, it might have been the deadliest forest disaster in the nation’s history. Fire is present.
Among the homes destroyed by the fire was Gujardu’s. In the confusion of the fire night, her brother, sister, and parents made it out of the house safely in their car, but their cat Max and poodle Nala ran away from the house in fear before the family could apprehend them. I took off running.
Nala returned to the ash shell that had once been her home four days later. Despite being dehydrated, fatigued, and covered in dust, she remained remarkably unharmed.
However, Max, the white-pawed ginger cat,Gujardu, though, is encouraged by the possibility that Max will recover. She posted pictures of Ginger the cat to Facebook groups set up to help owners find their missing pets following the fire.
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“Max is a grumpy guy, you can tell by his expression,” Gajardo said endearingly as he displayed a picture of the calico cat to Al Jazeera. “I’ve been missing him. Had I had it around my neck, yes. Previously, he slept in our rooms.
Gajardo is drawn to the O’Higgins school by a glimmer of hope when the clinic phones him first thing in the morning to report that they have found a cat that fits Max’s description.
Gujardu showed up right away, curious to make sure it was Max. “I hope it’s him,” he muttered as he stood patiently in the deserted hallway.
Taking care of traumaTo make room for improvised tents made of tarpaulin sheets, residents had to clear mountains of debris, the remains of their previous dwellings.
Namely, Margarita Herrera. She is standing beside her pet bulldog, Nitro, in the wreckage of her house. His tear duct had become infected since the fire, as evidenced by the pink bulb that swelled and bruised in the corner of his eye.
Herrera started to worry that the poisonous ash was aggravating Nitro’s condition as the edema continued to grow. She posted a request for assistance on the social media site TikTok last week.
“He might get blind. Herrera remarked, “We can rebuild our house, but we can’t get his eye back. Nitro was sitting obediently at his feet.
Visiting the veterinary clinic wasn’tAlthough he acknowledged that wildfires claim a high number of lives, he also said that tending to injured dogs is another method to care for human survivors.
“Helping people and responding to animals do not have to conflict with one another.”We’re not devoting any resources to humanitarian assistance,” Donathan clarified.Helping these creatures is vital for their own sake, but it also increases human resilience and aids in trauma rehabilitation.”
At some point, Donathan schedules Nitro’s surgery at the school clinic. Herrera grinned, clearly relieved to hear the news. “He’s our baby,” she referred to Nitro as.
A sanctuary for those who adore dogs
Chile is renowned for its zoological passion. According to a 2022 census, eight out of ten Chileans are pet owners, and the nation hasThere are 8.3 million pet dogs in a nation of 19.6 million people, according to the official “census” of domestic animals. 3.46 million more are stray animals.
According to the Financial Times, market research firm Euromonitor even declared that in 2017, Chile had the greatest percentage of dog owners worldwide, outpacing developed nations like the US and Brazil.
Although the number of animals hurt in this year’s fires is unknown, veterinarian Lucas Garcia, who was reared in Viana del Mar, stated that he and his colleagues have now treated over 120 animals.
Garcia clarified that the municipal administration employs five full-time veterinarians to assist with disaster response. Private clinic volunteers andThe number of animals they have treated is probably far fewer than the total number of injuries, they continued. He explained this away by saying that there were numerous survivors.
Manuel Monsalve, the deputy interior minister, estimated that 14,000 homes were damaged or completely destroyed.
The same area was scorched by another large wildfire in December 2022, less than two years before to the current fire. Due to climate change and high temperatures brought on by the El Nino weather pattern, Chile is currently going through a protracted drought.
“There have been fires in Vienna before, but not this big,” Garcia remarked.
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Garcia looked after the animals at the Columbia Republic School in Viana del Mar as she talked to Al Jazeera. There, theThe dog’s owner, Alma Ortega, along with her boyfriend, child, and father-in-law, had temporarily relocated into the school. They and another family slept in the same classroom.
Ortega claimed that the fire entirely destroyed his home in the Villa Independencia area.
“It happened in a few minutes,” he stated. “We saw ash falling from the sky, and then the house caught fire.”
Together with her two dogs and her family, she was able to flee the building. However, Black, a black Akita, one of the dogs, escaped and rushed back into the smoke.
“We found him three days later with his paws completely burned,” Ortega stated. “He was suffering greatly. He was immobile.
He saw as Garcia replaced Blake’s bandages with gentle touch. It was a difficult period forOrtega softly picked up Black’s bandaged paw and held it in his own. She claimed to be positive in spite of the uncertainties.
She leaned down to give her dog a hug and remarked, “The most important thing is that we’re all right.”
Locating Max
Gazing after the ginger cat under their care, volunteers and city physicians check on Gajardo back at O’Higgins School.
At last, a clinic official comes up to Gujardo and informs him of an unexpected hiccup: the cat is female and she is expecting. In the end, it’s not Max.
The nameless cat will stay at the clinic until her babies are delivered safely. The clinic spokesman added, “Hopefully, the team can locate its owner.
