More than two weeks after Hawaii‘s deadliest wildfire swept through the town of Lahaina, dozens of household pets, mainly cats, are believed to be clinging to life in the wreckage with no help in sight, animal rescue groups claim.
But their bid to stage a massive operation is being stymied by authorities who are restricting access to the disaster zone.
Last Friday, Major General Kenneth Hara, Hawaii’s adjutant general – the state’s top militarty officer – declared that there were no reports of stray animals, despite several flyovers. He called the claims of thousands of cats still in the burn zone ‘an absolute lie and definitely untrue’.
However, several animal rescue groups have revealed that cats have trickled out as recently as this week, making their way to feeding stations set up around the perimeter of the disaster area.
‘What our government is holding on to is that there are no animals left alive, and that’s just not true,’ said Maria Jose, a veterinarian from the Big Island.
Jose spent the weekend after the fire rescuing animals from the Leialaii Hawaiian Homeland subdivision and along Ainakea Road, before she and other workers were kicked out.
Sarah Haynes, founder of Kitty Charm Farm, a cat rescue organization in Maui, told DailyMail.com the organization has been taking in several of the survivors that have been coming in from the disaster area.
Just on Wednesday, the organization took in an orange tabby they believed is a displaced fire evacuee and have asked for the owner to come forward.
Some locals have begun volunteering to rescue or leave food for strays near the perimeter of the restricted wildfire disaster zone where several cats have emerged.
She added: ‘When they say they don’t see the animals, that doesn’t surprise me. If you’re not actively looking for these animals, you’re not going to find them.
‘They are hiding, they’re weak. They’re not out there running around asking for people to pick them up.
‘This is really a job for animal rescue and trained animal people to go in and find them.’
Jose said she worked triage on Thursday August 17 on the periphery at the Gateway Mall, treating several burned animals that were then transferred to the Maui Humane Society.
‘Those first couple days, the animals were in terrible shape, but we could treat them,’ the vet told DailyMail.com.
‘The ones I saw on the 17th were burned, dehydrated, and had sepsis infections. The fact that nobody has gotten these animals out in a timely fashion is what’s killing them.
‘I can’t explain how miserable the conditions are in the burn zone,’ Jose continued.
‘The animals injured in the fire at this point are not going to make it, but there are other animals that are still hiding out there, without food and water. They can’t survive there for long.’
She explained that it is likely dogs, which are more dependent and less inclined to hide out, are already dead, but that cats are more likely to live up to the myth that they have nine lives.
‘Dogs are not capable surviving on their own in situations like that,’ she said.
‘The real survivors in this group are going to be cats. Cats are not the type to come out and show themselves.’
Jose acknowledged that it is wise to keep residents away from the area at the moment because there are toxins in the air at the disaster zone could be harmful if exposed without proper hazmat gear.
Kitty Charm Farm shared pictures of an injured black and white cat from Lahaina’s ‘Front Street burn area’ that managed to make it out alive
Animal rescue groups say several cats have trickled out as recently as this week, making their way to feeding stations set up around the perimeter of the disaster area
However, she argued that certified disaster animal rescue technicians could be properly equipped to enter, or could provide supplies, such as traps, and intel for other first responders to save animals.
‘It’s been incredibly disheartening to see how little officials have paid attention to the pet owners here,’ she said.
‘People had lost everything but the only thing they cared about was the hope that maybe some of their animals had survived.
‘The fact they weren’t given a chance to find their animals or even had an actual rescue group go in and search for their animals is heartbreaking.’
Eline Mervis, 59, is among the evacuated Lahaina homeowners still holding out hope that some of her 13 rescue cats survived.
‘My husband and I have lost our house, everything,’ Mervis told DailyMail.com.
‘We rescue cats and my husband builds catios around the property. When the fire happened, we had to open all the catios to let them out.
‘We saw five that didn’t make it, but I saw two of them for a brief second before they took off.’
‘We were ordered to leave the second or third day after the fire,’ she explained.
Mervis believes the cats are still hiding out next door, under a rock cluster, noting: ‘A neighbor has been sneaking down to leave food and water in the rocks in case they’re still there.
‘The neighbor says it’s getting eaten, but she’s not sure if it’s getting eaten by cats or by birds.’
‘I wish officials would at least allow the Humane Society in so they could leave traps throughout the neighborhood, leave food and water, and check on a regular basis to see if there are animals still around,’ she said.
Last Christmas, she and her husband sent out holidays card with pictures of their entire cat family.
‘It’s heartbreaking,’ said Mervis, who’s currently staying elsewhere in Maui.
Eline Mervis, 59, is among the evacuated Lahaina homeowners still holding out hope that some of her 13 rescue cats survived. She is pictured with her husband Kurt.
‘We don’t have children. These are our babies. It’s like our children are out there and we feel so hopeless because we can’t do anything for them.
‘I hope they don’t feel we’ve abandoned them,’ she cried. ‘The animals are our heart and soul. The house is nothing. It’s our babies that are our main concern. ‘
Sarah Haynes, founder of Kitty Charm Farm, a cat rescue organization on Maui, told DailyMail.com on Tuesday that she had just completed a Zoom conference call with the Maui Humane Society and several animal rescues and trappers on the island.
MHS did not respond to an interview request from DailyMail.com.
‘We were hoping this call was going to be our activation plan and instead we are still waiting for one,’ Haynes said. ‘Everybody is really disappointed, including MHS.
‘My understanding is that the area is so toxic that our government doesn’t want to send anybody in,’ she continued.
‘It is devastating that nobody is able to get in there and save these animals. Our hope is that they will at least let their own first responders trap.
‘Many of the rescues are equipping first responders with carriers, cat food and bowls, because they are the only ones pulling animals out at this time.’
Back at Kitty Charm Farm facilities in Haiku, the organization has been taking in several of the survivors.
‘A friend pulled 10 cats off the street in one night who were failing and I brought them to emergency center,’ Haynes said.
‘We euthanized and buried one today in our little kitty cemetery with an ocean view.
‘The person who found him named him Taco cat. I’m glad I was able to comfort him in his last moments.’
On Monday, she got a call from one of the fire’s heroes, Ydriss Nouara, pleading for help in rescuing his white cat that he left behind when his house went up in flames.
Nouara fled on a scooter with an elderly neighbor, then jumped into the sea to avoid being burned. He tried to save a large dog, before he jumped and was then rescued by the US Coast Guard.
‘He called me while he was waiting to go into surgery and he said, ”I understand you’re the person that’s trying to save the cats,” she told DailyMail.com.
‘He had been through hell and back, and he’s thinking about his cat. He’s in the hospital and he’s trying to find his cat. He sent me pictures.’
She filled out paperwork for him and reported it to the Humane Society.
‘I told him I’d do my best to find his cat,’ she said. ‘But I told him I didn’t want to give him false hope.’
She told him that if his cat didn’t survive, there were other displaced animals who would be lucky to have him.
‘I thought it would be very beautiful if a man and cat who had both been through such tragedy found each other,’ she said. ‘He liked the idea.’
As of Friday, the Maui Humane Society reported an estimated 3,000 missing pets, with just over 1,000 lost animal reports filed in Lahaina, an eight-square mile area with 12,000 residents.
‘Our veterinary, humane enforcement and search and rescue teams are reporting back every day that there are many stray animals,’ MHS reported at the time, while encouraging pet owners to file missing reports.
‘Cats, dogs, rabbits, tortoises, birds, livestock etc. We want you to know we are committed to lifesaving and reunification efforts for ALL ANIMALS.’
Dr. Lisa Labrecque, Chief Executive Officer of MHS, stated that her organization is working with local and national organizations to ensure that ‘every step of the search and rescue process is carried out according to proper procedure.
‘While our eagerness to enter the impacted area and provide aid to all animals is resolute, we comprehend and respect the guidelines established by the county,’ she added.
Dawn Pfendler, CEO of the Hawaii Animal Rescue Foundation, said it’s unknown how many animals may still be alive.
She noted that over 350 live animals were retrieved from the danger zone as of Sunday.
Dawn Pfendler, CEO of the Hawaii Animal Rescue Foundation said it is difficult to guess how many surviving animals remain.
Maui Human Society says it has received over 367 reports of missing pets since the outbreak of the horrific blazes earlier this month
First responders have been focusing on recovering human remains, with an estimated 1,100 people still unaccounted for.
‘Right now, the site is still off limits, period, because it’s still an active recovery site,’ Rick Daysog, press officer for the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, told DailyMail.com Tuesday.
‘There is no real access. There’s not even access for people looking for their families and remains.’
Daysog downplayed expectations that there’s an abundance of animals out there waiting to be saved.
He said he toured the burn zone himself last weekend and didn’t see a single cat or dog.
He also pointed to Major General Hara’s statement that no animals had been seen.
‘The Maui Humane Society has had some complaints about access,’ the press officer said.
‘I was there over weekend and went through the area,’ he continued. ‘I’m a pet person myself, but we didn’t see anything at this point. But you never know. They could be hiding.’
Dawn Pfendler agreed that many of the animals that remain in Lahaina are likely in hiding and not likely to approach first responders.
‘Unfortunately, the animals are in that fight or flight mindset, meaning even friendly, owned pets are not necessarily coming to rescuers when called,’ she said.
‘That’s where trapping is essential.’
She said animal rescue groups just need the green light to enter.
‘We are frustrated because we know there are live animals still there,’ she said. ‘Animals are coming out, but (rescuers) are just not able to get into that ground zero.
‘We have sufficient support,’ she said. ‘It’s just a matter of getting them in when it becomes safe. Every day that goes by, the likelihood of finding live animals decreases.’
