Swift action saves pets in shelter from raging wildfire

Giant plumes of smoke billowed from bright orange flames as a blazing wildfire near the quaint mountain community of Ruidoso, New Mexico, consumed everything in its path, prompting mass evacuations including those of local animal shelters. They needed help — and fast. They would get it through a network of animal welfare organizations swiftly arranging ground and air transport to safely relocate pets.

Best Friends’ goal is for all shelters to reach no-kill in 2025, and that means working together with other animal welfare organizations to save pets’ lives on a day-to-day basis and also in emergency situations.

“The Humane Society of Lincoln County in Ruidoso reached out to me when the fires started, asking for help evacuating their animals,” says Desiree Triste-Aragon, a Best Friends strategist based in the area.

[Shy cat loses his home in a fire but keeps his newfound confidence]

Best Friends worked together with other shelters in the state to move all the animals out of harm’s way and free up shelter space for the anticipated surge of pets from evacuees. Some of the cats and dogs came to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary — and 16 cats and kittens got a bird’s eye view for their trip.

A volunteer pilot and Best Friends’ Cat World Director Amy Kohlbecker departed from the small airport near the Sanctuary just as the sun peeked over the red rock mesas, arriving at the shelter where they were picking up the 16 cats just a few hours later. Shelter staff loaded the kitties into carriers while Amy and the pilot carefully arranged the carriers in the small plane, fitting them together like pieces of a furry jigsaw puzzle.

“We positioned the smallest kittens so that I could easily keep an eye on them during the flight,” says Amy. “Not long after we took off, I noticed something a bit off with an orange kitten named Dandy. He was lethargic and couldn’t stand up. He did not look well, so I pulled him out of his carrier and put him on my lap to assess him and make sure he was OK.”

[Rescuing animals, one flight at a time]

Weakness, lethargy, and the inability to stand are often symptoms of hypoglycemia in kittens (a potentially life-threatening condition relating to low blood sugar), so Amy hand-fed him small bites of food until he perked up a bit. “I just wanted to make sure that we did whatever we could to help him before we got him into medical care,” she says.

Dandy turned out to be an excellent co-pilot (perhaps this could be a new career for him). He arrived safely at the Sanctuary, where Best Friends veterinarians were waiting to examine him and his siblings. It turned out that they had upper respiratory infections and panleukopenia — a dangerous virus for which there’s no easy cure. Thankfully, this furry family is getting the care they need to survive and thrive, and Dandy is now doing, well, just dandy.

“It was amazing that our volunteer could help with his plane," says Amy. “He offered so much by doing this. Ground transportation would have taken significantly longer.” And time can make all the difference when it comes to saving lives.

People’s care and compassion shone through in every interaction during the disaster response. “It was so wonderful to see the local community come together,” says Desiree. “It's very encouraging and heartening when you can see all these local people who are coming in to help animals in need.”

The wildfires are now contained, and the evacuated shelter is back to normal. The pets of Ruidoso and surrounding areas are safe and sound, but their story could have ended very differently. Thanks to the dedication and generosity of a whole network of animal lovers, their tale is now one of hope, new beginnings, and homes of their own.

Our goal at Best Friends is to support all animal shelters in the U.S. in reaching no-kill in 2025. No-kill means saving every dog and cat in a shelter who can be saved, accounting for community safety and good quality of life for pets. 

Shelter staff can’t do it alone. Saving animals in shelters is everyone’s responsibility, and it takes support and participation from the community. No-kill is possible when we work together thoughtfully, honestly, and collaboratively.