FORT LAUDERDALE-HOLLYWOOD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, FLA. (WSVN) - More than 50 dogs and cats touched down in South Florida after they were rescued in the Bahamas.
7News cameras captured the furry travelers in their kennels after they landed at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Saturday.
The animals are on their way to new homes thanks to Wings of Rescue. The nonprofit organization transports unwanted or displaced animals to locations where they can be adopted.
“The planning’s been going on for months to do this. We fly from there fairly regularly,” said Wings of Rescue president and CEO Ric Browde. “It takes three weeks to get the pets’ shots and vaccines up to date so that they can enter the United States legally and healthy. Then we were off this morning and came back with this amazing load of highly adoptable pets.”
The 54 dogs and four cats were rescued by the Humane Society of Grand Bahama and placed in a shelter which quickly became overcrowded. Transporting these animals to South Florida frees up space in that shelter for other abandoned pets.
“These pets, by being here, have opened up space back in the Bahamas, which is still suffering from the effects of Hurricane Dorian,” said Browde, “so that the shelter there can take care of even more pets that would otherwise be left out on the streets.”
The Humane Society of Grand Bahama cleared all 58 pets, which were abandoned or went unclaimed for at least 30 days.
Several animal rescue groups were ready to receive the animals as soon as they arrived at FLL.
“They will be picked up by various shelters and rescues, and most of these pets will probably be on somebody’s couch by the end of the weekend,” said Browde.
The pets will be evaluated, and some are already available for adoption.
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