JACKSONVILLE, Fla — Florida Urgent Rescue returned Tuesday from a rescue mission in which the organization helped save animals in Louisiana impacted by Hurricane Laura.
FUR said the rescue mission is just one of several with more rescues planned in the next two weeks. The animals will be moved by ground to Michigan, New Jersey and Virginia.
FUR says each year, hurricane season brings on an onslaught of strays and owner surrenders which can be a deadly issue for animals in shelters.
"When people come back and find their homes flooded, damaged or destroyed, owner surrenders skyrocket," a FUR spokesperson said. "The only way to make room for the wave of incoming animals is to euthanize animals who were already in the shelter prior to the storm."
FUR's Urgent Transport program has helped address this issue by relocating hundreds of animals at risk during seven hurricanes. The program started three years ago during a rescue mission following Hurricane Harvey in Houston.
"FUR works with no-kill shelters and reputable rescues throughout the country as part of their transport program," the spokesperson said. "Their goal is to move the animals to no-kill shelters and rescues up north, where there are much greater capacity and less overcrowding."
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