More than 80,000 people were forced to evacuate as one of the most devastating wildfires in Canada’s history blazed toward Fort McMurray. Many residents had to leave everything except for the clothes that they were wearing, and tragically, pets were included in the list of things that had to be abandoned. All in all, there were an estimated 600 pets still left behind after the evacuation.
Thx for all the kudos everyone. Happy to help move 2 & 4 legged pax from #ymm. Our FA Heidi shared this pic on FB 🙂 pic.twitter.com/IBChAWzMba
— Canadian North (@CanadianNorth) May 6, 2016
Luckily, there are several volunteers working to find pets that were left, and there’s even a website–which you can find here–where residents can report a pet in need of saving. But these volunteers aren’t the only ones who care about the furry, feathered, or scaly residents of Fort McMurray who couldn’t escape with their owners. At least two airlines are allowing families fleeing the fire with pets to fly coach and ignore the normal guidelines and restrictions concerning pet size and travel carriers.
WestJet and Canada North have both made exceptions to the rules, as cats and dogs of evacuees line the floors of flights taking people away from danger. Pictures are showing up all over social media of pets sharing space with their owners in cramped coach accommodations, but pet owners are just grateful to the airlines for caring and happy to be alive and safe with their fur families.
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Are you glad the airlines allowed pets on board? Do you think all airlines should make exceptions for pets in the event of a disaster? Let us know in the comments below!
