by After 4:00 am, the country was shaken by a strong telluric movement. The tremor had Santander as its epicenter, however, many people from Bogotá and Medellín evacuated their homes when they felt the movement.
In case of emergency, pets cannot be forgotten. These are some recommendations from firefighters to ensure your care.
- It is very important to release them if they are tied up and take them to the meeting point.
- In case you lose sight of them, a recommendation is to wait until after the emergency to start your search.
- It is important to take them into account when preparing first-aid kits and emergency kits: include your food, bowls for your water and disinfection products suitable for animals in case of injuries.
What should the pet emergency kit have?
- Extra first aid kit: should include bandage rolls, bandage tape, scissors, antibiotic ointment, latex gloves, isopropyl alcohol, saline solution, and any special medications required by the animal.
- documents: copy of the animal’s vaccination record, list of current disabilities or illnesses for each animal, copy of adoption or ownership records, copy of microchip information, list of veterinarian or family contact numbers and, if applicable, copy of the documents of the animal’s medical insurance policy.
- Medicines: they must be packaged, clearly labeled, and accompanied by a list specifying the actual dosage.
- Leash, harness and collar: each of these items must be marked with the contact information of the owners (at least two relatives).
- Photos to help identification: In cases of emergency, it may happen that the owners cannot help in the search for the animal. The ideal is to leave in the kit photos with the names of each animal where specific characteristics can be identified.
- Food, water and others: the kit has to include a few servings of food. bottles of water, croquettes and even a toy.
Ideally, keep this kit in a dry place, at room temperature and easily accessible. Also, each item should be neatly stored and labeled.
Saving Paws Campaign
The Bogotá Official Fire Department has a campaign designed especially for the care of companion animals in case of emergencies: Salvando Patas. This campaign seeks to involve the owners of domestic animals, identifying the homes in which a pet lives through a decal, so that, in the event of an emergency, the firefighters can identify that the pet is in danger and can take action for their rescue.
How does it work? The owner of the pet must register at the following link: The form asks for personal data and identification of the pet.
After registration, the owner must go to the fire station closest to his home (or the one indicated on the website) to claim the sticker. This reads “This is a home saving legs”, the type and number of pets that live in that home.
This stickers It is posted at the entrance or in a visible place so that, in cases of emergency, the response entities have the information and can search for the animals, even if the owner is incapacitated.
Why do pets feel tremors earlier?
The belief is based on the behaviors that some animals take before an earthquake or other types of natural disasters. According to the magazine BBC Focus, Animals feel tremors sooner than humans because of “vibrations traveling through the ground at different speeds.”
This ability is due to their more developed senses, which allow them to feel the vibrations of the ground beforehand and even hear the fractures that occur in a tectonic movement. According to the same source, animals can feel a tremor at least two minutes before humans.
