Saving the Animals

ERUPTION EXODUS Taal island horses dipping their nostrils on water after being rescued from the volcano's outburst

WHEN TAAL VOLCANO ERUPTED A week ago, the country was still reeling the effects of earthquakes that have devastated several towns in Southern Mindanao. To make the situation even more apocalyptic, tensions in the Middle East has escalated following a series of skirmishes many thought would lead to a full-scale war, with a significant number of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) caught in the crossfire. These natural and man-made disasters, however, did take a toll on the many that an additional one, another debacle perhaps, might lead to utter ruin.   

Everyone was horrified. And the stress of it can cause some panic, enabling others to act out of character, as an immediate reaction. Try scanning these incidents on social media even, and chances are there might be some dread hovering on your responses at the end of the day. Besides, those who have been near these areas have their distressing calls to boot. And that includes animals. If they could talk then, they might have something interesting to tell. 

More than 500 horses were left behind on the island of Taal following the eruption of the volcano. Some owners felt that these beasts were excess baggage, and that tagging them along in their evacuation would slow them down. So they decided to leave them behind and let the volcano deal with it. Such was the fate of these horses which, before the eruption, had been a capable partner in the island’s ecotourism and are in danger since then of being wiped out by an angry volcano.    

While rescuing humans are a priority in times of calamities, it is still equally disheartening to see beleaguered animals being carried away to safety. There has to be some Old Testament justice to it. If some of us can carry an idol from an imminent fire or an impending flood, there’s no reason for us, though, not to carry these hapless animals away from volcanic ash.

The rescuing of these animals, nonetheless, was quite dramatic after the eruption. Many of those who evacuated came back on site in the hopes of checking if not salvaging their livestock from the threat of the volcano. And since a lockdown had been imposed soon after the eruption, tensions then sprouted out between the distraught evacuees and the armed forces, who had cordoned the areas surrounding the volcano a day after the eruption, leaving the evacuees empty-handed. Batangas, by and large, still relies on animals for their agricultural and business enterprise.  

But they were given a leeway soon after, and it was a sight to see them saving their animals from potential danger. Even police officers had joined in the effort of salvaging these animals on to safety. Somehow there’s an endearing aspect to it when you see a cop hugging a dog, rescuing it away from the volcano’s wrath. 

Some horses were rescued from the island, but most of them need medical aid, if not food to eat. Several of them had blisters and were visibly shaken as soon as they were hauled out of that bangka. They appeared rattled, weak, and stressed-out, as the eruption might still be having its effect on their physical state, as was with humans following the eruption of the second most active volcano in the country. We can only speculate. It would take some time, however, for them to recover, and be of use back to their owners and onto the province as well when they were still a part of the island’s tourism program. 

Others decided to sell them with prices as low as P300. Unfortunately, these animals did not escape still from further harassment in that they were immediately put on auction soon after they have been rescued from the furnace of Taal. Besides, after the eruption, the areas surrounding the volcano are a country of stray animals and fresh carcasses. Luckily for the domestic ones, however, many concerned individuals had offered shelters for them. 

For all its impending doom, the threat of yet another eruption can be seen through the eyes of these animals. We shake our heads seeing the extent of destruction the eruption did bring to the residents of Batangas, but you might be chuckling in disbelief if that same devastation hits the least in our midst, i.e., the animals. 

It is often assumed that your ability to extend care to animals speaks a lot about your empathy with the environment. During the height of this volcanic commotion, Batangas Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) Chief, Lito Castro, said that it is the saving of human lives that we need to concentrate on instead of saving animals. Sometimes, though, saying the right thing might not serve well during a catastrophe, even if your intention is good. That only makes the ordeal more daunting. We can only assume that Mr. Castro hasn’t owned a pet in his lifetime.  

LOST IN BATANGAS Stray dogs hound the province following the eruption of Taal volcano 

photo credits: gulf news, washington post