Hundreds of pets were rescued following Venezuela’s earthquakes. Now they’re looking for their families
After Venezuela’s Tremors: Lost Pets Seek Their Belonging Families
A Journey of Hope and Reunion
Hundreds of pets were rescued following – When Catira Alejandra finally encountered her human family once more, joy overflowed from every movement. Her tail swayed with enthusiasm, she leaped with wild energy, and gentle kisses covered her owner’s face. This small canine had been uncertain whether she would ever witness those familiar faces again. Yet mere days prior, the frightened pup sat huddled with her head lowered, shaking as rescuers wearing protective gloves carefully inspected her injuries. Found in La Guaira, she received a temporary name from her saviors and carried no identifying details about her previous existence.
The twin seismic events that struck Venezuela during June claimed thousands of lives while simultaneously separating countless animals from their households. Residents have endured tremendous losses—dear family members, cherished residences, and the four-legged friends who accompanied them through daily life. According to Maguildas Vargas, who leads Misión Nevado, a Venezuelan governmental initiative dedicated to housing abandoned creatures, at least 648 companion animals including both felines and canines have been gathered from La Guaira and San Bernardino, a Caracas district, since June 24.
Medical Care and Social Media Connections
Vargas and her dedicated team have successfully matched 18 animals found in La Guaira with their human families. Many of these creatures sustained serious injuries during the disasters. Fractures, multiple traumas, mutilations, abrasions, and cuts were common among the rescued population, according to Vargas, who works as a veterinary assistant. These wounded animals currently receive medical attention and temporary housing while awaiting the opportunity to return to their original residences.
The president of Misión Nevado has encouraged individuals searching for missing pets to establish online profiles and share information across social platforms. Digital networks have become inundated with images and footage showcasing dogs of various dimensions alongside cats in white, black, striped, and multicolored patterns. Every shared post circulates numerous times, accompanied by emotional appeals from grieving pet parents providing essential details about their treasured companions.
Shelters Become Gathering Points
Granja Los Corales, located within La Guaira state, serves as a central location for hundreds of displaced animals. Rene Cardozo, the regional shelter coordinator, explained the facility’s purpose to state broadcaster Venezolana de Televisión: “We are here as a meeting point for those people who are looking for their pets so they can come and check if they are in the facilities.”
Beyond governmental initiatives, numerous independent organizations have dedicated themselves to reconnecting earthquake victims with their animal companions. María Cordova began her rescue work at fifteen years old back in 2013. Operating from Barquisimeto in Lara state, she transformed this passion into her life’s calling. Her profession as a home-based pastry chef enables her to arrange her daily routine around caring for rescued animals.
Personal Stories of Reunion
Following the earthquakes, Cordova journeyed to La Guaira on two separate occasions. Together with her organization, Amor Animal, she assisted twenty-two creatures. “We are looking for their owners; we know that many are still hospitalized and haven’t had the chance to look for their pets,” she shared with CNN. “My mission in all of this is for them to find their owners. I am in no hurry to put them up for adoption, because my mission and my satisfaction would be for them to be reunited with their owners,” Cordova expressed.
This purpose achieved partial fulfillment recently when she witnessed Gus, a black feline she had saved in Catia La Mar, La Guaira state, finally meeting his human family after nineteen days apart. “I found him by the grace of God, thanks to you,” wrote Rofredbelys, Gus’s owner, through tears in a video distributed by the shelter.
“That girl really cried,” Cordova recalled, noting how these emotional reunions validate every effort she makes.
Such moments of connection, Cordova emphasizes, provide profound meaning to all her tireless work. The journey from disaster to reunion continues, offering hope to both humans and animals navigating this challenging chapter in Venezuela’s recent history.