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Rescuers from Pasadena Land In Fire-Ravaged Maui To Search for Lost Pets
An aerial image taken on August 10, 2023, shows two people walking down Front Street past destroyed buildings burned to the ground in Lahaina in the aftermath of wildfires in western Maui, Hawaii.
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PATRICK T. FALLON
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AFP via Getty Images
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Months after wildfires destroyed parts of the island, the Maui Humane Society is still looking for pets that went missing.
The organization has been calling on rescue officers from across the country to assist with finding lost and dead pets since August.
James Garcia is one of two rescue officers from Pasadena Humane Society who recently answered the call.
"Maui Humane has done a great job of already rescuing most of the live animals that were left after the fires," Garcia said. "There are some cats left I believe. They're attempting to trap the remainder of them."
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The trick is to always have bits of fish, beef and chicken around.
"Just putting some high quality wet food in a trap would almost guarantee that a cat would go in to investigate, and then once they're trapped, Maui Humane will bring them back and make sure they get the best care possible," said Garcia, who has been based in the fire-ravaged Lahaina, since arriving in Maui.
Since cats tend to be more active at night, Maui Humane has also set up wildlife cameras to try to monitor their activity when rescue officers are off shift.
But so far, Garcia and his fellow rescue officers have mostly come across dead animals. Once these animals are found, the team scans the microchips and provide Maui Humane with tracking numbers to notify the pet owners.
A firefighting helicopter drops water as Maui County firefighters extinguish a fire near homes during the upcountry Maui wildfires in Kula, Hawaii on Aug. 13, 2023.
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Patrick T. Fallon
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AFP via Getty Images
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"It's sad to say, but at least for us here, it's a way to kind of give back and help the residents in not wondering what happened to their pet and just getting some closure," Garcia said. "As a pet owner myself, I think I would want to know what happened to my pet instead of wondering if they survived and possibly continue looking for them."
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For his part, Garcia says he didn't think twice about joining the rescue efforts.
"The animal care community is a pretty tight knit community—it's a small world," Garcia said. "It's kind of like a kinship that we all share, whether it's a animal control officer, veterinary technician, volunteers, or just anyone in the animal care world. Anyone would jump at the chance to come help each other out."
The Maui Humane Society is accepting donations to assist with their search and rescue efforts.
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