NEWS AND COMMENT-LA PALMA: Drones have been used to drop dog food and water for the dogs stranded and trapped by lava spewing out of the volcano on the Spanish island of La Palma. These dogs were left behind and they’ve been starving. There is video footage of dogs trapped in a yard in the area of Todoque. The area has been badly hit by lava flows. The video footage, although somewhat indistinct, shows dogs going towards packages dropped from the drones which they open with their teeth.
Two local companies were involved: Ticom Soluciones and Volcanic Life. The local authorities thanked them for their assistance. The companies have been helped by veterinarians who decided what sort of food could be dropped and how much.
We are told that helicopters can’t fly in the area because of the hot air from the lava and the volcanic ash which can damage rotors. This prevents the dogs being airlifted out.
The residents of these areas were allowed to remove belongings after the evacuation. The Times said that they saw police asking people to take abandoned animals. They report that although they managed to take some chickens they could not transport hunting dogs. It is not clear why.
Hundreds of homeless pets have been temporarily sheltered in a school playground from where they can be rehomed or I presume reunited with their owners. The pets became homeless after their owners fled the Cumbre Vieja volcano which erupted in September 19.
Eight hundred residents were ordered by officials to leave the coastal town of Los Llanos de Aridane last Tuesday after the lava rerouted itself on its way to the Atlantic Ocean. The government has pledged €240 million to help to rebuild homes, farms and businesses.
The volcanic eruption is the third on the island over the past hundred years and has lasted longer than the previous one in 1971.
SOME MORE ON DOG RESCUE:
