Hundreds of starving pets are wandering the streets of a Caribbean island after their distraught owners were forced to leave them behind in the wake of Hurricane Irma.
Dogs, cats and horses as well as farm livestock were left homeless when Barbuda’s 1,800 residents were ordered off the island, which was laid to waste by 185mph winds.
Volunteers are desperately trying to provide food, shelter and medical care after the animals were left to fend for themselves having been traumatised by the devastating storm.
Pictures show a horse looking for grass in a back garden, dogs looking for their owners and a young goat wandering around the wreckage.
Hundreds of starving pets are wandering the streets of the Caribbean island of Barbuda after their distraught owners were forced to leave them behind in the wake of Hurricane Irma
Dogs, cats and horses as well as farm livestock were left homeless when Barbuda’s 1,800 residents were ordered off the island, which was laid to waste by 185mph winds
Volunteers are desperately trying to provide food, shelter and medical care after the animals were left to fend for themselves on Barbuda having been traumatised by the devastating storm. Pictures show a baby goat wandering around the wreckage
Today, the stench of rotting corpses from sheep and goats killed by the storm fills the air.
Standing water is largely stagnant meaning the animals spared by Irma are reliant on the benevolence of a couple of dozen defence force officials currently stationed on the island.
The monster category five storm which hurtled through here last Wednesday was merciless in its destruction, razing everything from the idyllic isle’s brightly coloured homes to its tiny grocery shops, bars and restaurants to the ground.
Barbuda’s 1,800 residents were issued with a mandatory evacuation order last week amid fears of a second hit from Hurricane Jose, which later tracked north-west.
Hundreds of people were packed onto Venezuelan military planes which flew in to assist, along with tourist boats to take them to safety in Antigua.
Many were distraught at leaving their beloved pets behind, while farmers feared for the fate of their livestock.
Mark Raab, a digital marketing consultant, was one of a handful of volunteers who visited the stricken isle on Monday to feed the hungry creatures.
Mr Raab, 38, told MailOnline he had taken his boat over, loaded with pet supplies donated by animal lovers in Antigua.
Barbuda’s 1,800 residents were issued with a mandatory evacuation order last week amid fears of a second hit from Hurricane Jose, which later tracked north-west. It meant many pets had to be left behind to fend for themselves
Two abandoned dogs shelter from the sun on Barbuda after their distraught owners were forced to leave them behind on the island
‘The animals are fragile, left pretty much by themselves, and the livestock is many Barbudans’ livelihoods,’ he explained.
‘I visited Barbuda just before the storm and it was so beautiful and green; now everything looks brown and dead and there is a terrible stench of decay. The devastation is awful, everything is down, electrical poles were just snapped like toothpicks.’
Mr Raab said the dogs closest to the dock appeared well-fed by army staff but those further in ‘looked pretty hungry’.
‘They looked scared too; probably traumatised by the storm. But once we had been there a few hours, they perked up and started playing with us.’
A GoFundMe appeal to help Barbuda’s animals raised several thousand pounds in just a few days.
‘Dogs, cats, goats, donkeys, horses, pigs and other livestock are roaming free with no one to care for them,’ the appeal stated. ‘The Barbudans who have had to leave are desperate for their animals to be fed and checked over. Some also need medical attention and shelter.’
Fundraisers hope to collect enough cash to transport some of the animals to Antigua.
Volunteers are desperately trying to reach the island to feed the animals. Dogs closest to the dock appeared well-fed by army staff but those further in ‘looked pretty hungry’, volunteers said
Rescue: Fundraisers hope to collect enough cash to transport some of the animals to Antigua
Sadly, the largest of the main island’s two animal shelters, run by charity PAAWS, is in a financial crisis and already packed to bursting point.
Mr Raab added that his boat had been able to transport a puppy and a kitten to Antigua to be cared for by kind-hearted residents.
Another volunteer, Ziffy Tyrrell, estimated their group aboard a separate boat had fed as many as 100 dogs, 100 sheep, 60 chickens, 50 pigs, 40 goats, 10 horses, 20 turkeys, eight peacocks, a cow and a donkey. They also treated three wounded horses with antibiotics.
‘Pet and livestock owners are reaching out to us left, right and centre, thanking us and begging us to look for their dogs,’ Ms Tyrrell said.
Karen Corbin, of the Antigua & Barbuda Humane Society, which is coordinating efforts, said: ‘We have been offered assistance from a number of international organisations – and we will be utilising them all.’
Meanwhile, hundreds of homeless Barbudans remain in shelters set up at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium in Antigua and a cultural centre in the capital, St John’s.
A horse wanders around a garden after its owners were forced to abandon it after Hurricane Irma
The cost of rebuilding their homes alone is expected to top £50 million. The most powerful storm ever to hit the Atlantic also claimed the life of a two-year-old Barbudan boy and wiped out valuable nesting grounds for critically endangered hawksbill turtles.
Midcie Francis, of the National Office of Disaster Services, said assessments were underway, the results of which would give an idea of when Barbudans may be able to return home.
The Eastern Caribbean country’s regional neighbours have been among the first to respond with many pledging financial support. A team from the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) is currently on the ground carrying out an analysis of the devastation.
Prime Minister Theresa May announced on Thursday that £32 million had been made available to assist the region which has suffered dozens of fatalities. Irma has also caused widespread damage in the British Overseas Territories of Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands and Turks and Caicos.