Other Texas animal shelters are assisting in the rescues.
By Ariana Garcia,Trending News ReporterJuly 11, 2024
Source: https://www.chron.com/life/wildlife/article/beryl-houston-spca-animals-19567133.php
Hundreds of displaced animals left orphaned and injured after Hurricane Beryl tore through Houston on Monday have been rescued. In the last two days since the Category 1 hurricane made landfall in Texas, the Houston SPCA’s Wildlife Center has rescued and taken in 1,093 native wildlife. Most of the species staff has received so far include herons, egrets, Mississippi kites, blue jays, mourning dove, white-winged doves, and opossums.
Aviary species are particularly vulnerable during hurricane season as they can be knocked out of their nests by high winds and driving rain, and many drown due to flooding, according to the SPCA. Summertime also happens to be baby season for egrets, a species belonging to the heron family. On Monday morning, wildlife specialists responded to a rescue involving hundreds of egrets nesting in trees in a northeast Houston neighborhood off Kiowa River Lane near Cypress.
Hundreds of egrets were found in a northeast Houston neighborhood after Hurricane Beryl tore through the city on Monday.
Houston SPCAMany juvenile and baby egrets were blown out of their nests during the hurricane-force winds and drowned, while hundreds more were waterlogged and shivering in the grass below their destroyed homes, according to the SPCA. In total, 300 surviving egrets were saved and taken to the wildlife center for treatment. “Most of these egrets arrived at our campus cold and week, and our staff immediately assessed their general condition, prioritizing warmth and security,” the center wrote in a statement.
The Houston SPCA is asking residents to be on the lookout for any injured or orphaned wildlife that may need assistance as they clean up debris and downed limbs. The wildlife center is currently unable to answer phone calls at this time but is open for intakes from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. everyday.
Other Texas animal shelters are stepping up to assist with wildlife rescues in the Houston area after Beryl. Although the Austin Wildlife Rescue reports it is at peak capacity amid its busiest summer months, it has made emergency accommodations to feed and care for hungry and stressed out animals that survived the storm. As of Thursday morning, the rescue has accepted 60 displaced birds, including 30 Mississippi kites and 30 egrets. “They are all babies whose nesting and rookery sites were destroyed by the hurricane,” the rescue wrote in a statement. “They join the over 1,600 wild animals currently in our care.”
Ariana Garcia
TRENDING NEWS REPORTER
Ariana Garcia joined Chron in 2021. Previously, she was a community news and breaking news reporter for the Austin American-Statesman. She enjoys binge-watching anime and films makeup tutorials in her spare time.