Rescuers brave volcanic eruptions in Indonesia to save pets May 5, 2024

A volunteer carries an injured dog rescued from the foot of Mount Ruang (Ronny Adolof BUOL)

By AFP - Agence France Presse

Rescuers brave volcanic eruptions in Indonesia to save pets

An Indonesian volunteer returns from a dangerous rescue mission on a remote island where a volcano recently triggered violent eruptions, hugging an abandoned, emaciated dog with burn blisters.

Mount Ruang, in Indonesia's northernmost region, has erupted more than half a dozen times since April 16, unleashing a spectacular mix of ash, lava, and lightning that has forced the island's residents to relocate permanently and thousands more to evacuate.

But while locals have fled, a team of volunteers traveled by boat to Ruang to rescue abandoned pets from the base of the volcano, which remains on high alert, in daring rescue operations.

"We know they (the animals) are still living there. Why are we letting them die when we know they are still alive there?" 31-year-old volunteer Laurent Tan told AFP on Saturday.

Laurent Tan, who runs two animal shelters in the provincial capital of Manado in North Sulawesi, is one of eight volunteers who made the six-hour ferry trip to Ruang's neighboring island of Tagulandang several times after the eruptions.

On one of their missions to the island's ash-covered houses, they picked up an unnamed puppy, a white cat, and a bright turquoise and white tropical bird.

The dog, a female with burns on her face and body, was taken to a makeshift shelter on Tagulandang, where a veterinarian treated her on a wooden table while a volunteer held up a cell phone flashlight.

She appeared to have survived the eruptions as she had taken shelter in a large gutter. The surrounding village above ground was destroyed, Laurent said.

The group, made up of volunteers from animal welfare organizations, moved out for the second time on Friday after some pet owners made desperate calls on social media to evacuate their pets, and has since rescued "many" animals, she added.

An AFP journalist who was at the scene said more than a dozen animals had been rescued since Friday.

Some owners had learned that their pets were still alive after seeing pictures of Ruang Island in the media.

- Their lives are important" -

Authorities had urged people to evacuate outside the seven-kilometer exclusion zone around the crater, which was reduced to five kilometers on Sunday, with around 11,000 people earmarked for evacuation.

More than 5,000 people had already been evacuated from Tagulandang on Saturday, the National Disaster Management Agency said on Sunday, while all residents of Ruang - more than 800 - were permanently relocated.

The authorities had warned of flying rocks, lava flows, and tsunamis that could be caused by debris sliding into the sea.

But despite the risk, the volunteers set to work.

One climbed over the fence of an abandoned house to rescue several dogs left behind by their owner and then handed them over to vet Hendrikus Hermawan.

Hendrikus said the owner asked the volunteers for help rescuing the dogs, including a five-month-old puppy.

He told AFP that many of the rescued animals appeared hungry and stressed after their owners abandoned them.

"The first treatment we do here is to give food and extra vitamins to relieve the stress," he said, adding that the animals could survive as long as they were well-fed.

The volunteers' goal is to rescue all the dogs, cats, and birds threatened by the volcano, bring them to Manado, and reunite them with their original owners, Laurent said.

Even though the impact of the volcanic eruption on humans was the main focus, the animals should not be forgotten, says the volunteer.

"Our main focus is on the animals. Many people have already received help, but these animals have had no help," she said.

"For me, their lives are important. We consider them part of our family."

By Ronny Adolof Buol

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