Greece forest fires: domestic animals left behind to be rescued

COMMENT - OPINION: The reports that I'm reading about the devastating Greek forest fires is that owners are evacuating their homes without taking their cats and dogs. They've been ordered to evacuate (too late?). The big issue is how much time did they have to get out. If they had adequate time there is no reason why they shouldn't have taken their cats and dogs with them. But they appear to have regularly evacuated without them and relied upon volunteers to come in after to rescue the pets. The same applies to horses.

Rescued cat. The image is deliberately dark to hide burns if they exist. Image: keeptalkinggreece.com.

It seems extraordinary to me but I don't want to be overly critical, that they did not have adequate time to round up their pets and take them out of the disaster that was unfolding. If they genuinely were pushed for time due to inadequate notification or inadequate preparation then perhaps it could be accepted that they had to evacuate very quickly. But I suspect this isn't the case.

And if I am correct in that assessment, it demonstrates a culture which is not great with respect to animal welfare. Regrettably, it squares up with what I know about Greece and cats. Years ago, I wrote a piece about the stray cats of Greece and how they help to make the holiday season more interesting for tourists. But when the holiday season was over the cats were poisoned, they were exterminated because they were a nuisance.

In the reports that I'm reading they state that it is the volunteers who pick up the pieces and rescue the domestic animals after the fire has gone through, provided they have survived. They say that the evacuation of humans without their pets happens after every forest fire. They have to go and search and rescue abandoned pets every time.

In one instance, 15 dogs were abandoned on a plot of land with several goats that were then rescued. In another instance, volunteers had to rescue about 300 horses from several riding clubs in the region of the fires. Apparently, the police did not allow owners to transport the animals. They were set free until they could be brought to safety.

Fortunately, the horses, ponies and donkeys were successfully rescued and transported out of the area without harm, it appears.

Although, I have seen photographs which I will not reproduce here of cats which have been burnt or singed by the fire. The one on this page is just about acceptable. It is distressing to read about this. It is not just Greece where this happens. There does seem to be a carelessness when evacuating homes in wildfires. There appears to be a lack of preparation. With full preparation given adequate time there is no reason why cats and dogs should not be transported out of these danger zones in good time.

Perhaps I'm being too critical but the way it looks to me is that people are de-prioritising animal welfare, perhaps in a panic. Wildfire travel quickly but surely they could move earlier. Perhaps they think that they could save their properties and therefore they stay in them until the last minute. Then they realise they've lost the battle with the fire and have to evacuate rapidly. By that time, they cannot find their cat because he or she has disappeared in fear. For me this is not a good look.