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Help the hurricane affected Animals

My wife wrote an article to MSNBC writer Kim Thornton on the topic of treatment of the animals who are affected by Katrina.

Many people are concerned about the animals and pets left behind. The recovery crews are looking for dead human bodies and going right past the suffering, starving animals that may be all some of the living human victims have left of their pre-storm life. Why has there been little to no coverage or attention given to this? Can someone please air or write a story that includes HSUS or ASPCA officials? The postings on the internet indicate that the animal resuce groups are being denied access to save the lives of the animals. I would think that removing animals would reduce the risk of disease and make conditions safer for those who will need to work on cleanup. As well, although I understand why it may have been a concern to let animals go to the large human shelters, why wasn't some sort of triage set up so the animal resuce groups could tag/identify these animals for later reunion with their owners.

I am not a nutty person. I am a college-educated 38 year old who is heartbroken over the treatment of these animals. I can't believe that these human survivors were forced to leave pets to starve to death? Why couldn''t they be brought along. I can't imagine the psychological damage this will add to an already horrible situation for people.

What is the plan for the animals? I thought FEMA was supposed to work with
the HSUS? What is being done here?

I'm happy to report that humane organizations have been allowed into New Orleans to begin animal  rescue there. They are really working together and doing all they can to save as  many animals as possible. If you would like to support this effort with a  donation, some groups to consider are Noah's Wish ( noahswish.org), ASPCA (aspca.org) and the Louisiana Veterinary Medical Association (lvma.org).

Thanks for caring.

Kim