It occurred to me as I was walking into Joplin that the tornado didn’t just impact people. I saw a very large tree in a field that had blown down, and out from under the foliage came a horse. It got me to thinking about what animals feel when a tornado or even a thunderstorm hit. Is it fear? Or is there some primal instinct that tells them to just seek shelter?
We humans are blessed (?) with the knowledge that we are mortal and are going to die someday. Animals, as far as we know, do have a fear of injury ( a dog not jumping off a roof, for example) but when it comes to bigger concept events iike tornadoes, it is unlikely that they can know what to do. Animals of the forest may hunker down to wait it out but our domesticated pals follow our leads when they can. But sometimes they cannot.
The tornado tore apart homes. It tore apart lives and left thousands homeless, and it left a lot of pets missing their families, and vice versa. It was a beautiful sight to see how the city of Joplin went to great pains to make sure that pets were included in the search and rescue process. I saw many signs and messages painted on walls and debris that said “we are okay and pets are okay too.”
Today, as I left Joplin and its wreckage, passed an auto body shop, where a pet “lost and found” had been set up by the Joplin humane society and the ASPCA. A table was there, manned by several young ladies, and had clipboards and lists labeled lost and found. Trucks were coming in and out with loads of feed and other supplies, and there were volunteers walking dogs, which were housed in the auto body shop. It was all very efficient and well run. I asked one of the women if there had been many success stories, and she smiled as she told me that there had actually been a very surprising number of them.
As I was preparing to leave, a young lady came out from the crowd somewhere carrying a cat in a pet carrier. I asked her if it was a happy ending story and she happily said it was, as she handed the cat to her boyfriend, a tattooed tough looking guy who just melted in front of my eyes when he saw his cat again. He told me that while his house had not been destroyed, the windows had all been blown out and the cat had been left behind when the family took off for safety. Rescue workers had discovered the kitty while clearing the houses, looking for survivors. The cat looked to be in excellent shape, physically and mentally. The young man was obviously very happy to see his friend again, thanks to the dedication of someone who took the time to rescue the cat. From what I gathered there were many more happy endings, and in a tragedy like what hit Joplin, any good news is welcome indeed.
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