How You Can Support Animals Amid California Wildfire Crisis

Southern California animal welfare groups are seeking the public’s help as they assist pets displaced or left behind after their human companions were forced to flee their homes due to ongoing wildfires.

Why It Matters

Around 180,000 residents in Los Angeles County and other parts of Southern California have been under mandatory evacuation orders due to the fires over the past few days. In many cases, pet dogs, cats and other animals have been lost in the chaos or were left behind during evacuations.

What To Know

Animal welfare groups in the Los Angeles and other parts of Southern California are actively involved in supporting fire recovery efforts. Most of the groups are dealing with limited resources and seeking donations. Some are also asking local animal lovers to adopt or foster pets affected by the fires, or for other help from volunteers.

Erin O’Connor, spokesperson for West Los Angeles-based Best Friends Animal Society, told Newsweek in an email on Thursday that her group was both working to support other local animal welfare organizations that are struggling amid the chaos and to ensure the safety of its own pets and staff.

“To help make room for displaced pets, Best Friends brought in 17 cats and dogs from Pasadena Humane that were under the care of the shelter before the Eaton fire began,” O’Connor said. “With many pets being boarded at Pasadena Humane while their families are under evacuation orders, Best Friends taking in these pets creates more space for Pasadena-area residents to keep their pets safe.”

On Thursday morning, the group transported 33 animals, including those from Pasadena Humane, to the Best Friends’ Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah. O’Connor said that the pets would either remain at the sanctuary temporarily or move on to Best Friends’ Lifesaving Center in Salt Lake City while awaiting adoption.

Best Friends also announced that 11 pets had been adopted and 40 others placed in foster homes in a single day, an achievement that O’Connor said showed “the dedication of Angelenos to step up for their community” during a difficult time.

The group operates two walk-in pet pantries in Los Angeles and Granada Hills, both of which are stocked with items like dog and cat food, litter, collars and leashes. Additional information can be found on the group’s website.

Locals willing to foster an animal are encouraged to email FosterLA@bestfriends.org, while donations of critical supplies can be easily made by purchasing items on the Los Angeles chapter’s wish lists for Amazon and Walmart.

Pasadena Humane, which is also seeking donations and operates in the region of the devastating and ongoing Eaton fire, said that it had “taken in over 300 animals due to evacuations and have staff and volunteers working nonstop to help with their care” as of Wednesday night.

“We are starting to see many animals coming in with burns and injuries,” the group said. “These animals are being treated in our ICU. We are providing them with pain medications, wound care, fluid, and oxygen as needed.”

Other groups and agencies assisting pets during the emergency and are seeking donations include the Los Angeles Department of Animal Services; the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles (SPCALA); the Labelle Foundation; the Animal Wellness Foundation; the Lange Foundation; and the Los Angeles County Animal Care Foundation.

What People Are Saying

Pasadena Humane, in a message posted online Wednesday night: “Our biggest need right now is for monetary donations to help provide emergency resources to animals affected by the wildfires … We anticipate getting in even more animals who are in need of emergency medical care as the fires continue. If you are able to donate, please visit pasadenahumane.org/wildfirerelief.”

Dr. Annie Harvilicz, veterinarian and founder of the Animal Wellness Foundation, in a message posted to Facebook on Thursday: “Please … I beg of you. Take your animals with you when you evacuate. You will not be able to come back to get them. Take them and you will find a place to stay. Hotels are becoming more pet friendly, rentals are more pet friendly, there are many animal shelters, neighbors will help, the veterinary community will be there for you.

“We are all here to help you. When everything seems lost your family and your community will be there for you. We will help all the animals … all creatures great and small! To donate to the cause or get some more information please visit www.animalwellnessfoundation.org. We are all Angelenos and we are all in this together.”

What Happens Next

There was no indication that Southern California’s fires were close to being extinguished as of Thursday night. The total impact of the fires on people, pets and infrastructure remains unknown as the crisis continues.