The earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand has brought familiar scenes of destruction to our television screens and now news that pet owners are frantically breaking through cordoned off areas to search for their pets. I have been to Christchurch and it is a beautiful city, with a beautiful cathedral at its center, that is surrounded by a lovely, cobble-stoned public square, with lovely shops.
No more, I'm afraid. And no more to many of the cats and dogs that shared the city with their owners. New Zealanders love their animals so it was no surprise to hear that the SPCA Animal Rescue Unit, headquartered in nearby Wellington was being dispatched to help deal with this situation.
SPCA manger, Blair Hillyard, noted that the conditions for animals has been "deteriorating because of time issues," and understands why pet owners have become frantic enough to invade roped off areas. "That is really one of the common problems of why people break the cordon," he said. "It's not to go and do burglaries; its to go and retrieve their pets. We will now be providing that critical service."
According to SPCA national chief, Robyn Kippenberger, the majority of the pets gone missing are cats, and she is expecting a lot of strays. Proving the uneven pattern of most natural disasters, a wild animal park near the Chirstchurch airport was expected to be open this week and reported no damage from the quake.
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