Flying To The Rescue

Vanderburgh Humane Society already was operating over capacity in early October when CEO Kendall Paul received an urgent email.

Hurricane Milton was making landfall Oct. 9 on Florida’s West Coast. In anticipation of taking in pets displaced by the Category 3 storm, national nonprofit Best Friends Animal Society asked VHS to accept animals in Florida who already were vetted and awaiting adoption.

That meant quickly making room at VHS. BFAS stepped in by sponsoring free adoptions for animals in VHS’ care, and by Oct. 12, more than 250 animals were adopted or fostered.

Meanwhile, VHS simultaneously manned its West Side Nut Club Fall Festival booth and juggled regular tasks like assisting Evansville Animal Care & Control, says Director of Advancement Amanda Coburn.

“The thing about disasters is, it’s never a convenient time,” she says. “It’s a testament to the dedication of our team.”

The nonprofit Wings for Rescue, which uses its own fleet of planes to re- move shelter animals from dire situations, flew 37 animals — 21 dogs from Pinellas County Animal Services in Largo, Florida, and 16 cats from Animal Welfare League of Charlotte County, also in the Sunshine State — to Evansville’s Tri-State Aero on Oct. 19. Volunteers retrieved pets inching down the conveyor belt from the plane’s cargo area and loaded them into a truck for the trip back to the shelter at 400 Millner Industrial Drive. After a mandatory quarantine, they will go up for adoption.