Rescuers supported by PETA’s Global Compassion Fund had just plucked starving earthquake survivors Quaid, Kim, and Ada from the debris-filled streets of Antakya when a dust-covered Turkish army vehicle pulled up to them. A soldier emerged and handed the team a bundle containing Roberta, a frightened puppy his squad had rescued from a nearby collapsed building.
Then, just as they were preparing to leave for the clinic in Adana with their latest rescues, the ground they were standing on began moving violently. A 6.3-magnitude earthquake was rolling through the area, collapsing damaged buildings they had searched only hours earlier. The team hardly had a chance to calm their nerves when that nasty scare was followed by a 5.6-magnitude aftershock! While all were shaken up, thankfully no one was hurt, and they soon set off with a van full of rescued animals.
In Adana, staff at the veterinary clinic, which had already been damaged, were shaken by this latest quake, too, and were now facing a new problem: they were becoming overwhelmed by the sheer number of rescued animals needing urgent care!
One member of the team quickly worked with the head veterinarian to find a solution: the clinic would hire more temporary staff to help feed and care for the survivors, and rescuers would arrange to transport some of the animals to another clinic that had more space.
Quaid, Roberta, Kim, and 14 other uninjured dogs and cats are now heading on the long drive to Istanbul to be reunited with their families or to find new loving homes.
