The Big Easy Animal Rescue
Film Summary
52:00 mins
Adventure
/ Current Events & Society
/ Science & Nature
/ Wildlife
Worldwide
Brief Summary
In the deserted streets of New Orleans, there is little sign of life. The chaos and noise of Hurricane Katrina is gone, except for one chilling sound: the desperate howling of hundreds of lonely dogs, pleading with those out of earshot to remember and return. Animal Evac! tells the dramatic story of what happens to the animals in our lives when disaster strikes. New Orleans, post Katrina: Tens of thousands of pets are stranded…toxic floodwaters are rising…and food is running out. It’s a race against time as rescue teams labour around the clock to try save them. National Geographic had exclusive access to the boats and rescuers as they braved bacteria-laced waters and desperately struggled, under military escort, to save the dying animals. We’re aboard rescue boats with Best Friends - the first animal rescue operation allowed to enter New Orleans - as they race to save the tens of thousands of animals estimated to be stranded in the city. It’s a Herculean task, with an uncertain outcome. In the midst of such disorder, even if they’re rescued, will these pets ever find their way back to their owners? Dramatic rescues come one after another, up to fifty a day - many downright dangerous. Each dog or cat is now dehydrated and some are aggressive, terrified and abandoned. Rescue workers must break down doors and windows, braving unknown dangers to save anxious pets. The dogs have turned aggressive, untrusting; the cats scratch and fight. But there is an even greater nightmare. Domesticated dogs and cats accustomed to being well fed are now starving, desperate, and have taken to the streets in feral packs that threaten the lives of the very rescue workers who want to save them. Can these animals be rescued and reclaimed? Our cameras were in the centre of the sick, the dying, and the lost in the flooded streets, as well as the shelters that became triage clinics. Desperate owners… frightened animals…exhausted rescuers - it’s a recipe for emotional drama, moments of elation, and moments of despair. After weeks of frustration and loss, families will either encounter emotional reunions - or learn they’ll never see their pet again. This is a story about some of the most helpless victims of nature’s wrath - and the heroic, passionate commitment of a handful of dedicated volunteers to save them.
Year Filmed: 2006
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