Asia Earthquake and Tsunami Update: Saturday, January 15 - 8:00 a.m.

It took only days for the human survival stories to be reported by the news media. The people who miraculously found things like trees and buildings to grab onto as water rushed by or they felt the arm of another person pull them to safety just in time. There have not been many reports of the harrowing experiences of the animals though. As Noah's Wish Coordinator, Wade Beane, continues to work with the veterinarians traveling through the costal villages he is hearing those stories now.

Yesterday Wade was told the story about a kitten who was washed into a beach front home by the powerful waves. Bobbing up and down, grasping for air, the battered kitten would not have survived for much longer had it not been for the woman sitting on a ceiling beam who reached down and grabbed onto the saturated, almost lifeless feline. Tucking the cat into her top, both frightened souls waited, in hopes the water would not rise any higher and consume both of them. The water did eventually stop and both barely survived the ordeal.

As Wade and his team continued their travels throughout the disaster area, vaccinating a total of 460 dogs and cats on Thursday, they once again spotted animals everywhere. Obviously, these animals found a way to survive the tsunami. How they all did, we can only guess. Whether they had the sense to know ahead of time that danger was approaching, is not a confirmed fact, but it sure seems something or someone helped them to safety. Trying to remain alive is what these animals now face. Noah's Wish is doing everything we can to ensure that as many of them as possible make it.

We are starting to learn that a higher number of dogs then we expected are not strays. Yes, they live their lives roaming the streets but there is usually a person or a family who assumes some degree of responsibility for them. When people learn that rabies vaccinations are now available for their animals, they are showing up with dogs on leashes and cats in baskets and burlap sacks. These people are quick to express their relief in getting their animals vaccinated. Free rabies vaccinations are offered during normal times by the government but the availability is unpredictable. If the vaccinations were not free the majority of the people could not afford to pay for them. The approximate cost for one rabies vaccination is $1.40.