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<\/a> (Beth Clifton collage)<\/strong><\/em><\/div>\n LOS ANGELES, California<\/strong>\u2013\u2013Animal rescue operations continue throughout the Los Angeles area,\u00a0 with the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire,\u00a0 believed to be the two most costly in California history,\u00a0 both still burning to the north and east.<\/p>\n The Palisades Fire at latest report from Cal Fire,\u00a0 the state fire agency,\u00a0 is still just 22% contained;\u00a0 the Eaton Fire is 55% contained.<\/p>\n Multiple smaller fires erupting within \u201chell week\u201d for the northern and eastern Los Angeles suburbs have been extinguished or contained,\u00a0 though.\u00a0\u00a0Despite continued hazardous dry winds and drought,\u00a0 the animal rescue focus has shifted from evacuation to recovery.<\/p>\n At least 27 human dead have been identified.\u00a0 As many as 35 people are missing.<\/p>\n The pet animal toll,\u00a0 among dogs,\u00a0 cats,\u00a0 birds,\u00a0 horses,\u00a0 and others is already known to be many times higher,\u00a0 even though most evacuees appear to have taken their animals with them if there was any way to cram them into cars in what was often only minutes to escape towering fast-moving flames that leaped roads with the ease and speed of a \u201cjumps\u201d racehorse.<\/p>\n <\/a> Dave Pauli.\u00a0 (Facebook photo)<\/strong><\/em><\/div>\n Dave Pauli,\u00a0 formerly a longtime disaster relief coordinator for the Humane Society of the U.S.,\u00a0 and now,\u00a0 post-retirement,\u00a0 sponsored by Greater Good Charities of Seattle,\u00a0 flew in from Montana on January 14,\u00a0 2024 to lend a hand.<\/p>\n Posted Pauli to his legion of Facebook followers,\u00a0 \u201c\u2019We lost our house.\u2019 \u00a0Four very difficult words. I met three different couples who shared that phrase with me today, \u00a0and each of them were walking or clutching their canine family member.\u201d<\/p>\n Many of Pauli\u2019s followers served with him in previous disaster relief missions,\u00a0 from Hurricane Andrew in 1992 through Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the deadly Lahaina fire in August 2023.\u00a0 No one is known to have participated in animal rescue in the aftermath of more disasters.<\/p>\n \u201cIt struck me,\u201d\u00a0 Pauli said, \u00a0\u201cthat all three used the term \u2018lost house\u2019 rather than \u2018lost home\u2019 \u2013\u2013because an important part of their home was on their lap or leashed by their side.<\/p>\n <\/a> Dave Pauli & friend.<\/strong><\/em> \u201cThe doggie do collection box is just outside my hotel room,\u201d\u00a0 Pauli continued, \u00a0\u201coverflowing as evacuees struggle to get their dogs and themselves some exercise!<\/p>\n \u201cMy heart will become weighed down,\u201d\u00a0 Pauli predicted, \u00a0\u201cas I spend tomorrow morning distributing badly needed human and animal supplies. \u00a0My days look like they will be half material support and half networking and planning for the larger wildlife response.<\/p>\n \u201cThese fires, \u00a0just like the Maui event, \u00a0leveled neighborhoods and impacted people of all economic and social levels. \u00a0I am preparing myself to comfort and support hundreds of human and animal wildfire victims every day!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a> \u201cThank you for all the love and support from the picture of me and Sovereignty.\u00a0 I wanted to share some of the videos that my dad took of our ride down the canyon.\u00a0 Stay safe everyone!<\/strong><\/em> Among the many evacuation war stories surfacing,\u00a0 with the most urgent part of the crisis having passed,\u00a0 Pegasus Horse Show founder Jen Tankel posted a photo to social media captioned,\u00a0 \u201c16 year old Kalyna Fedorowycz was helping to evacuate horses out of Topanga, \u00a0but one of the horses,\u201d\u00a0 identified by others as Sovereignty,\u00a0 \u201d was too terrified to load into the trailer.\u00a0 Rather than leaving the horse behind,\u00a0 she jumped on and rode (and led) the horse 14 miles to safety.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe fires came so quickly in some areas that owners abandoned hopes of getting frightened horses into trailers, \u00a0opting instead to walk them out along the steep roads,\u201d\u00a0 reported Gabrielle Canon for The Guardian<\/em>.\u00a0 \u201cOne man shared a now viral video escorting his horses and small donkeys through burning the mountains by motorbike, \u00a0shortly before his ranch was reduced to rubble. \u00a0Others were tragically left behind.\u201d<\/p>\n Santa Monica rescuer Austin Muhs recalled to Canon that,\u00a0 \u201cThe very first night there was a call for 40 horses,\u201d\u00a0 left in corrals.\u00a0 \u201c32 of them perished,\u201d\u00a0 Muhs said.\u00a0 \u201cBy the time we got there it was too late.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a> (Beth Clifton collage)<\/strong><\/em><\/div>\n Rescuer Brady Heiser described to Canon \u201cterrifying moments navigating inflamed trees on the roads, and challenges convincing animals to trust him when time was of the essence.<\/p>\n But,\u00a0 Heiser added,\u00a0 \u201cAs fast as you could get trailers in there, \u00a0they were loaded and gone. \u00a0It was a convoy of incredible people,\u201d\u00a0 evacuating animals \u201cfrom mini highland cows to an enormous 175-pound pig named Fancypants,\u201d\u00a0 Canon summarized.<\/p>\n Brittany \u201cCole\u201d Bush,\u00a0 founder of Shepherdess Land & Livestock,\u00a0 an Ojai Valley company that deploys grazing animals for brush-clearing,\u00a0 told Canon that, \u00a0as Canon paraphrased,\u00a0 \u201cHer phone was ringing off the hook after she posted on social media offering her trailers and herding expertise.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a> (Beth Clifton collage)<\/strong><\/em><\/div>\n Bush\u2019s first mission was evacuating \u201ca herd of sheep who had spent little time around people, on remote hillsides.<\/p>\n \u201cBit by bit, they countered the chaos with calm and were able to lure the animals in,\u201d\u00a0 Canon wrote.\u00a0 \u201cA more hastened round-up of some ducks, \u00a0housed in a crate and put in the back seat of the truck, \u00a0and they were on their way out.\u201d<\/p>\n Added Bush,\u00a0 to Canon a few days later,\u00a0 \u201cThis is the cleanup.\u00a0 Right now we are coordinating how to get animals from evacuation centers back home, \u00a0or if they can\u2019t go home, \u00a0where can we place them. That\u2019s the focus, \u00a0as well as providing major resources for these shelters,\u201d\u00a0 such as \u201cfeed and hauling.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a> (Beth Clifton collage)<\/strong><\/em><\/div>\n Arianna Buturovic \u201cstuffed 15 dogs and two cats in a black Prius,\u201d \u00a0she told Hallie Golden and Leslie Ambriz of Associated Press.<\/p>\n \u201cBut she still had nine more dogs and a pig to evacuate,\u201d\u00a0 Golden and Ambriz continued,\u00a0 \u201cso she flagged down some 18-year-olds with a truck who agreed to take them to a shelter. \u00a0She couldn\u2019t bring two ponies with her, \u00a0but she left the corral open so they could escape if needed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s how we evacuated almost 30 animals,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n Continued Golden and Ambriz,\u00a0 \u201cJulia Bagan, who is part of a Facebook group called Southern California Equine Emergency Evacuation, \u00a0found five horses locked in their stalls in Altadena one day after the fire. \u00a0The horses huddled in a small exterior pen attached to the stalls, \u00a0but couldn\u2019t entirely escape the flames.<\/p>\n <\/a> (Beth Clifton collage)<\/strong><\/em><\/div>\n \u201cBy the time a neighbor called for help and firefighters used bolt cutters to free them, \u00a0one of the horses was badly hurt, \u00a0Bagan said.<\/p>\n \u201cShe drove through the remnants of the fire to rescue them as damaged power lines sparked overhead. \u00a0She described it as \u2018the most crazy, dangerous\u2019 evacuation she\u2019s had yet. \u00a0Almost all the houses in the area had burned when she pulled up.<\/p>\n \u201cThe injured horse, a 3-year-old black mare she decided to name after the movie Flicka, \u00a0had leg burns. \u00a0Her halter burned off, \u00a0along with her tail and mane. \u00a0The embers gave her eyes ulcers.<\/p>\n \u201cA veterinarian at an emergency equine hospital gave the horse 50-50 odds of surviving.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a> (Beth Clifton collage)<\/strong><\/em><\/div>\n \u201cDozens of volunteers are helping to care for about 400 horses and donkeys at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center,\u201d\u00a0 reported Dawn Chmielewski and Lisa Richwine for Reuters.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are now seeing more injured animals coming in,\u201d \u00a0Pasadena Humane Society president Dia DuVernet told them.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re also starting to see people who brought their animals for what we thought would be temporary shelter, \u00a0but they don\u2019t have homes to go back to, \u00a0and so it\u2019s turning into a longer-term sheltering situation.\u201d<\/p>\n Wrote Chmielewski and Richwine,\u00a0 \u201cThe Pasadena Humane Society has entered a new phase of this disaster response, \u00a0search rescue and recovery, \u00a0DuVernet said. \u00a0\u201cPasadena Humane is prioritizing calls to help live animals in the burn zones \u2013\u2013 including eight injured peacocks.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a> (Beth Clifton collage)<\/strong><\/em><\/div>\n Elaborated Michelle Watson for CNN,\u00a0 \u201cPasadena Humane,\u201d\u00a0 after taking in 610 animals from evacuees and found at large in the fire zones, \u00a0\u201chas been feeding pets trapped in houses,\u00a0 assisted by animal control officers who have specialized fire training.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe are logging every report of animals left behind and dispatching search and rescue teams as quickly as possible in areas that are safe to enter,\u201d Pasadena Humane Society public relations manager Kevin McManus told Watson.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are prioritizing reports of animals seen alive in the area and in urgent need of medical attention, \u00a0as well as cases where owners have informed us they were forced to leave their pets behind. \u00a0Once all live animal reports have been addressed, \u00a0our focus will shift to responding to reports of deceased animals.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a> (Beth Clifton photo)<\/strong><\/em><\/div>\n Suzanne Cassel of Topanga evacuated to a temporary rescue shelter at Pierce College in Woodland Hills,\u00a0 Chmielewski and Richwine resumed,\u00a0 \u00a0\u201cwith her two horses, \u00a0a donkey named Oscar Nelson, four dogs and two cats.\u201d<\/p>\n Two ponies and \u201ctwo semi-feral dogs she fed\u201d could not be found,\u00a0 Chmielewski and Richwine said<\/p>\n \u201cHer horses are together in the shelter, \u00a0while the dogs and cats are staying in the horse trailer,\u201d\u00a0 Chmielewski and Richwine continued.<\/p>\n \u201cHer donkey, \u00a0though, \u00a0was feeling down in a stall by himself,\u201d\u00a0 so Cassell \u201cwent inside and sat in the stall with him for half an hour, \u00a0and he liked that,\u201d\u00a0 Chmielewski and Richwine reported,\u00a0 \u201cbecause nobody likes to be alone when you\u2019re a herd animal.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a> (Beth Clifton collage)<\/strong><\/em><\/div>\n Some animal owners were away when fires broke out and could not get back in time to save the animals.\u00a0 But at least one such case had a miraculous ending,\u00a0 reported Simrin Singh for CBC News.<\/p>\n \u201cAndrea Pasinetti was in San Francisco for work and his wife, \u00a0Sixuan, \u00a0was overseas when the Palisades Fire broke out,\u201d\u00a0 Singh narrated.\u00a0 \u201cTheir dogsitter was stuck in the roads leading to their block, \u00a0leaving the Pasinettis\u2019 three dogs waiting at home as the flames began ravaging their street.<\/p>\n \u201cPasinetti said he jumped on a flight to Los Angeles, \u00a0hoping to make it home in time to get Alma, \u00a0Archie and Hugo out of danger.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile,\u00a0 \u201cSixuan saw CBS News\u2019 Jonathan Vigliotti reporting from Palisades Charter High School, \u00a0which was a short distance from their residence.\u201d<\/p>\n Rapidly networking through social media,\u00a0 Sixuan reached CBS News producer Christian Duran, \u00a0who was working with Vigliotti,\u00a0 and the two of them freed the dogs from the burning home.<\/p>\n Pasinetti arrived in time to retrieve them.<\/p>\n <\/a> (Beth Clifton collage)<\/strong><\/em><\/div>\n Often animals were all that evacuees were able to take.<\/p>\n Three-time U.S. Olympic swimmer and medalist Gary Hall Jr.,\u00a0 50,\u00a0 left his five gold, three silver and two bronze medals behind when he fled his Pacific Palisades home,\u00a0 according to the Los Angeles Daily News<\/em>,\u00a0 but took his dog,\u00a0 the insulin he uses to treat his diabetes, \u00a0a painting of his grandfather, \u00a0and a religious artifact.<\/p>\n International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach pledged to send Hall a new set of medals.<\/p>\nTime for heroics over,\u00a0 time for caretaking & recovery begins<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n\u201cFour very difficult words\u201d<\/h2>\n
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(Facebook photo)<\/strong><\/em><\/div>\n\u201cPreparing to comfort and support\u201d<\/h2>\n
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(Kalyna Fedorowycz photo)<\/strong><\/em><\/div>\nRode 14 miles to safety<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n\u201cConvoy of incredible people\u201d<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n<\/p>\nSheep & ducks<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n15 dogs & two cats in a Prius<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n<\/p>\nBlack mare had half a chance<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n\u201cMore injured animals coming in\u201d<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n<\/p>\nPrioritizing reports of animals seen alive<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n<\/p>\nA donkey feeling down<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n<\/p>\nA miracle through networking<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n<\/p>\nTook dog,\u00a0 left Olympic medals<\/h2>\n